Variety (Jan 1949)

«2 PICTIJRBS Forty-third P^fSU&jhr Anahienfiay Wednr<sda7, January S, 1949 Legit's Four-City Routine Continued from page 3 i 2d Drive4n for Mpls. Indie Unit to Cost HOG dew for two seasons;, and there were a flock of "Baby Mine, I air and Warmer" and other stage hits with two or three attractions—all flving the banner of these keen old in-oducers. Henry W. Savage had out three "Merry Widows' at. one Minneapolis. ■ it 1 .1 I Ted Mann and Charlie Ruben- Devil" com-1 to supervise the local effort and ^^^.^ j^^^j independent circuit owners, start next spring on their s^bohd BiilUtli. idrive^ih theatre, a 600-car drive-ln costing $140,000, covered the country like the. I extend suggestions and help One thing the League must do though, is to assure each and every community who agrees to work in ??,"e7opened theirf rst in th^area support of V;.''. At the same time, good shovv^ v^ll be forth^^^ Passed a zoning ordinance plenty ot them Each city of 100 ^^^^^ ^ proposed drive- 000 or more should have a s^ow Minnesota Entertainment -^ ;,:„"5.,mp number pre-1 every 10 days or two weeks, vynn onU'nrUie'moS pTaf "EvLy-1 the efforts of the local group and ;Xhr comedy "E™ publicity the press will give P'^ anq. nie i-unn-uj twavr, ie cm.-i fihanrp of Dlavine "^V'" Enterprises, comprising a group of prominent Twin City indie exhibi- tliere is. small' chance of playing, a losing dale, because, as stated above, these: auditoriums have a large capacity . and $5,000 to $8,000 1 •( „„,v,Hnv^ the sross should be the average for a good, you book ahitnovvadays the gio^^^ ^ one-nighter. A ic n,pr.^ t.mes as great as it would ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^.^ ^^^^ woman Me.' ■ ■ ■ Bookirtg numerous attractions^ at the present time may be more dil- f icuU but it can be done. A.nd once you book a hit nowadaj is three times as great See 1949 Production Hypo Continued from page 11; round figure for studio employees reportedly was 30,000. Total on the payrolls in Septem- ber this year was 74.3% of that figure, compared with ^93.5% in 1947. A few sample months from the Department's chart illustrate the drop and indicate what's in store: v;: ■ 1947 % ■ March 97.8 April 101.1 May ■ 101.6 August 95.0 In the face of opposition, from North Central Allied which has askod the council not to:-issue any September , ... . V 93.5 new tlieatre licenses^ Mrs. Betty Secrost, who formerly operated the Princess, nabe house, is still 1948 % 77.3 79.3 83.3 69.8 74.3 bc jn the period mentioned above thrterri^orv Cthe kci^ i^^ seeking a permit in another sec- The "Road" is all right , ^^ov^i^'' ^h^^ '^/J^^^^^^^ Council rofused I to kill the Di-oposed project in con- healthy, and has plenty nienl money for stage successes it the managers will only send them out. Send out duplicates of Broad- way successes and it will be but a short time until the public \yill again contract the theatre-going habit in towns which have been de- prived of stage entertainment for tickets will relieve the transpor many years . . _ ^ It is true production costs are entirely too high and under pres-, ^.jjingnggg „f t^e members to sub- ent booking conditions, with but generously to this worthy a skimpy list of cities available at | <= . . . to kill the prbppsed project in c.urrence with a "maiopity litense be handled on a pro-rata basis. . committee report. The idea-of the League is ex-! Tnal iias been set in district cellent and can be accomplished fu^t oi the manclatnus suit successfully with the good-will; brought by the Paul Mans group and cooperation of the actors, ot indies to compel issuance of a stagehands, press agents, musicians 1 new theatre license in Rose, Twin and other craftsmen of the thea-! City suburb- A license ,Wa.s issued jj.g . there to Minnesota Amps^Co. Only lack of interest and un- '""'^H,, I cause can destroy the movement! this writing, managers are properly , y^^^ promises to restore one of the __ cautious about sending a imo. z j ^..^^ arts to its former high pedes-1 Pacific Drive-In Theatres in asso- extended tour oi, rj,^^^ ^^.^^^^ ^ i giatio„ „,ith Frank and Fritzie 1,000-Car Cal. Drive-In Whittier, Cal. New drive-in, to accommodate 1,000 cars, being built here by the one and two-night stands, i jj^^^, though big money may be made in doing so. ' • ' Fishman. It will cost $300,000. I . Beauco up One-Nightcrs 1|: If the League of New York The- atres and the Actors Equity can work together in an intelligent , manner, they should begin their re- vival ceremonies by opening up the good one-nighters of the country. Take the state of Michigan, for in- stance, with a lot of good show towns. Ann Arbon Saginaw, Jack- son, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Battle creek and Grand Rapids: — all closed to traveling stage shows- In Indiana, Terre Haute, Evansville, F6M Wayrte, South Bend, ditto, Illinois has Springfield, Peoria, BloOmington, Rockford and De- catur darkened against the stage. In Iowa such good towns as Bur- lington. Davenport, D u b u que, Waterloo, MarshaUtown and Cedar Rapids used to support the stage generously, but they have no op- portunity to do so now. The state of Texas is practically felosed to traveling attractions, as is North Politics and the Artist ^ Continued from page 3 ; FaUst,"; "'THe Sorrbws of Wer- ther," etc.; also stage director of. the Weimar theatre; poet, natural- ist and scientist and member of the Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. | imperial Chamber of the German California can be played and so can Empire. though later Marie Gorelll became i president, with a contempt for her favorite novelist. Chesterfield i "practical" politics, sat in the Lords; was a high-rank-1 poetry and a "book on religion ing diplomat and his "Letters"', j (destroyed by a pious friend), adorn the shelves of the cultured, i marked the beginning of Abraham Macaulay authored "The Lays of i Lincoln's literary career, culminat- Ancient Rome" and "The History ; ing in the "Gettysburg Speech," a of England." Who hasn't aston- classic in the world's universities ished his loving parents when re- | even if Mr. Babbitt and certain citing "lloratius"? Art carries the; editors consigned it to oblivion compulsion to serve the oppressed, i along With its politically inept au- Macauley M. P. denounced the ra-jthbr pacities ot_ Warren Hastings and ■ ^ George's "Progress and '*'^?i?■"„•«n*^^l«l^*^?l °r«fh^ .v^^ is cherished by the intel- and religious rights to Catholics ug^^t ^^^^ ^ prof6und im- ana y ews, I pression on young George Bernard "Genius, I name thee Goethe, | shaw. Twice candidate for mayor wrote Carlyle of the author of j of New York, Henry George's re- al! the good towns in Montana, and Phoenix, Tucson and El Paso. All ■want stage shows, but the joker is the picture theatres hold the legiti- mate franchise in those towns and i Paderewski served as president of Poland. Mr, Babbitt has pos- sibly heard that name mentioned casually at some church musicale. Machiavelli, the Italian, besides the pictures won't let a. stage show his comedy "La Mandragola," wrote in. The League should take vig-1 many books. From his statesman- orous means to have all territory opened up for stage attractions. , As a start, it would be a wise ligion was government with; "Thou I Shalt Not Steal" in its code, his I slogan being "I am for rten." I . Surely these. Americans would I support Woodrow Wilson's idea: A I man's labor is not a thing to barter l or sell, but an integral part of his llife." Mr. Babbitt would sniff at i their combined wealth. Wilson be- came governor of New Jersey and President of the United States af- I ter writing "The History of the American People" and striving to i»vfn ?h» wnr?^ wh^JwtLf/n^^ terrified the • „ < t « TTn W RnnVina 'nfLi nf ir^r^,^ Field Marshall Jan thing to ask the . United Booking prove of it . or not. Benedetto . .. Cmiit^ ripHflrori- "Wilson Office to cancel the franchi.ses Croce, philosopher of' Aesthetics! held by the motion picture chains.and cultured author, was a Sena ' ^' Versailles, Human- These chains play few if Sny legiti-1 tor and Minister of Public Instrue ^ - - - , ' mate offerings and they don't pay | tion the booking office enough to make it worthwhile to continue the policy. Still they are in a position to strangle the efforts of the League and Equity to revive gen- eral interest in the drama. Once these towns are thrown open, the producer can play auditoriums. Nearly all cities have fine audi-1 of first rank, toriums, built by the W. P. A. 12 r More"Writer-Statesmen or M years ago; they have big -jT^^Jnt stages, .sulTicient dressing- rooms uii-itiu height, lines and lights in aburj dance Uty failed." Richelieu, playwright and au- thor, administrator, navy builder, military genius, was one of France's most eminent Cardinal-statesmen. J. J. Jusserand wrote of the the- tre, Shakespeare and other sub- .iects; was -ambassador to, the United States and a political leader L : Actors Make Politicians Irish kings were poets, and , bards were their com- panions. Riehard-'Brinsley Sheri- Now for actors. George Alex- ander of the London County Coun- cil was knighted for his services. Our Congress had Nathaniel P. Banks, ex-Governor of Massachu- setts, who tried for nomination of the convention that chose Lincoln. He persuaded Fremont against heading a third party which might easily have doomed Lincoln's sec- ond' election. Of the party in power, he precipitated the expo- sure of the corrupt Grant adminis- [■.rMlXlv rlPan -.L hP=t (dramatist from Dublin), con- tration and unseated dictator Jay all. have money eapTcfty I "The School iot Scandal'' ' Cooke. George H. Crisp was The Leasue and EaUitv should i T^ ne Rivals"; was a brilliant Speaker of the-House; Julius Kahh, cet husv on this honkin? atiplp -inrl orator and wit, conspicuous in the ' member of the House Committee ronla"t' iT^mPdi^.Pr"^ fJll ' Parliament at the trial of Hastings, on Military Affairs, World War i: It was but natural that Douglas ' On the distaff side were Congress- Hyde and William Butler Yeats, i women Izetta Jewell, Helen Gaha- Gontact immediately a local or ganization or party to do the spade-work and act as impresario, i , . , ,, , , ™ . ^ , A local tieup is necessary, as n! diama isLs and poets, should serve gan Douglas and Claire Boothe moves the theatre up into the cul-1 respectively as President of Eire Luce, AH these actors spoke good tural class where it riglitfuUv be- ■ ^"^ "'ember of the Dail Eireann. | English and were in nobody's pay. longs All cities are civic-minded i country had Benjamin I Our recent election had for can- and stress culture whether thev ■ '' '"'nklin of "Poor Richard's Al- didates a pianist, a baritone soloist have it or not ' •' jmanack" and "Autobiography", and a Vice-Presidential candidate i ij.— j„. 1 j fame. He experimented with light- who had starred in a hillbilly show. I jan L,ocai rriae | ^ins, invented a stove, had the Should the artist go into politics? The League should send a high streets of Philadelphia lighted and As Clemenceau (schoolteacher, class representative to contact in- paved, invented musical glasses physician, playwright, novelist, es- flucntial people, the Women's ■ and wrote feelingly about music.' sayist, statesman), remarked to Clubs, Junior Leagues, the Lions, He walked among giants; a consum- Paderewski: "You were a great mate politician who knew when pianist; now you're president My not to talk. His protege was gcodness, how you'V.e Come down in Thomas Jefferson, violinist, singer, i the world!" naturalist, maker of nails, archi- tect and essayist. EVerj' Fourth of July his' "Declaration of Iiidepend- ertce" falls on Mr. Babbitt's sur- |:■ .:. -MG?a ,;12 - .ClasslesV;:-^^.i-. J A dozen of Metro's 1949 starters will be in color. Another 12 will be culled from the classics. Three will be filmed outside the U. S. Lineup con.sists of "The Forsyte Saga," "Madame Bovary," "Grey- friar's Bobby," "Intruder in the Dust," "Storm Over Vienna," "Any Number Can Play," "Robinson Cru- soe," "East Side; West Side," "Young Bess," "The Chosen," "Bat- tleground,''. "Black. Hand,'' "Scene of the Crime," "Annie Get Your Gun," "In the Good Old Summer- time," "Three Little Words," "Mid- night Kiss,'' "It's a Date," "Duchess of Idaho," "The Conspirator," "Quo Vadis?" and "Viva Zapata." Paramount hasn't popped with its complete lineup yet but will make at least as many as last year —21, including four from Pine- Thomas. Studio has five inked for January starts: "After Midnight," "Red Hot and Blue," "Sunset Boulevard," "Dear Wife" and "Broadway Bill." It looks like at' least 35 from Warners for the new year. Com- pany made 29 in '48, including product from the Saul Elkins unit, which started grinding 'em out in March. Elkins' medium budgeters totaled seven, and it's expected he'll produce at least 10 during the upcoming 12 months to bolster studio output. There'll be another 30 from 20th- Pox—24 on the lot and six abroad; That win be two more from home base than the '48 crop. Firm is expected to cut output from its indie producers, which in 1948 involved six from Sol Wurtzel, two from Frank Seltzer, one from Mar- cel Hellman, three from Edward Small, two from Sam Baerwitz and one from Nat Holt. Those "formative planning stages" heralded at RKO are said to indicate a repeat of 1948's 24. Program includes "I Married a Communist," "Operation Malaya" and ".Tet Pilot." Studio chief How- ard Hughes has made a five-picture deal with Gary Grant, one of'which will be made in -49, plus a dis- tribution deal on "The Green Promise" with' fellow Texan Glenn McCarthy. In addition. Argosy (John Ford and Merian C. Cooper) is planning three, two of which will probably be released by RKO. Trio con- sists of "The Quiet Man," "The Family" and /'Uncle Mike Meets Murder." This last year Argosy made "Fort Apache," "Mr. Joseph Young of Africa" and "She Wore a YeUow Ribbon" for RKO and "Three Godfathers" for Metro, t Will include "Born Yesterday," "All the King's Men," "Lena Hanson" "Anna Lucasta/' ''Tokyo Joe" "Sirocco," "Miss Grant Takes Rich, mond" and 'My Next Husband"—^ all in the $1,500,000 class. RepuWic's 54, with an over-all budget of $22,000,000, is an in- crease of 14 over 1948. Compaiiy will increase its medium-budget- ers;: running about $400,000 each, with ■ 20 'on. tap compared with 1948's 12. It's status quo for the lot's oaters, which will be com- prised of four Roy Rogers starrers, six Allan "Rocky" Lanes, and six- Monte Hales. Eagle Lion has 20 on tap, com- pared with 11 of its. own during the last 12 months; Eighteen indies were released, in . addition EL's own 11—plus six Edward Small re- issues and a dozen from, .7. Arthur Rank. There'll be 12 more from Rank, and there are four more documentaries coming up, on the order of "T-Men," "Canon City," "Raw Deal" and "He Walked By Night." Budgets will run from $400,000 to around $1,000,000: Universal will repeat with 24 and the same number from Rank as last year. This lot will go in more for comedies and exploits^tion pic- tures (on the-^ order of "The Life of Riley" and ''Abbott & Co.stellci Meet Frankenstein") than it did for pictures like "Another, .part of, the Forest," "All My Sons" and "A Woman's Vengeance" — all hailed by the critics but drubbed at the b.o. Tightening up like other studios; U's "budgets will be lower, on the whole, although some pretty hefty outlays will be made on ; "Gome Be My ;Love," Robert Montgomery starrer, ■ and the Technicolor "Bloomer Girl," "Bagdad," "The Western Story," "Sienna," "Toma- hawk" and "Streets of Cairo." Indies' Ontput Up Goldwyn's Duo Junior Chamber Of Commerce and other civic groups should be visited and steamed up with en- thusiasm and local pride in the venture, The local committee can arrange theatre parties, out-of- town cavalcades, radio hookups , and other methods of exploitation, and any capable press agent has the knowledge and the experience 500-Car Drive-In at Olcan Buffalo. Empire State Drive-in Theatre ""hp fn').ni!^F«^%^•*"P^?■iCorp. of Buffalo is building a 500- nf T^;-rrini1. a«H l=i'?y"'^'''"''^=ltheatre at Clean to 01 Vugmia and is rated a great cost $150,000, Samuel Goldwyn, whose last, year output for RKO consisted of "A Song Is Born" and "Enchantment," has another pair coming up—- "Hoseanna McCoy" and one more. Latter may be Clare Booth Luce's "Their Wedding Night," Mackin- lay Kantor's yarn about a New York cop, or Walter Reisch's "The Awakening;" There'll be at least two for RKO from Walt Disney—"So Dear to My Heart," early this year, and ''Two Fabulous Characters," in the fall. Bing Crosby narrates ''The, Headless Eorseman" sequence in i the latter. The other half will be devoted to "The Wind in the Wil- lows." Disney is also aiming for a December, '49,. release for "Cin- derella," now in work. Latter is his first all-cartoon feature since "Bambi," before the war. In addi- tion to his regular slate of 18 short cartoons, Disney is inaugurating a "True Life Adventure" series, first being "Seal Island" and second "Adventures with Nature." They are described as "short features," in Technicolor, running 30 minutes each." " Columbia will turn out at least 50, compared with 1948's 54. This includes four serials, three Gene Autry gallopers and eight Charles Starrett westerns, Top-budgeters Allied Artists-Monogram's agen- da stacks up as 61, compared with 47 in '48. There are 11 AA's inked for lensing, with budgets running from $400,000 to $1,300;000. Hal Roach, who has lowered his rental rates in a bid for other indies and tele producers, may make two of his scheduled six for Metro, but this isn't definite. Screen Guild Productions, which made 17 in its first year, is map- ping 30 of the short-budgeters for '49. David O. Selznick, whose lone 1948 contribution was"Portrait of Jennie,'' has one planned—- "A Doll's House." United Artists will repeat with 24, according to production over- seer George Bagnall.., First four are Benedict Bogeaus' "The- Crooked Way," which started Dec 1 at General Service; Screen Plays' "Champion"; Edward and William Nassour's"Africa Screams," Ab- bott & Costello starrer that teed off Nov. 10 at Nassour Studio; and W. R. Frank's 'The Great Dan Patch," which rolled Nov. 22 at General Service. v Also on the slate for UA are Edward Small's, "The Life of Valentino," starting after all these years in April, with Virginia Van Upp writing and producing; and a January startjr apiece from James Nasser and Harry Popkin. Others lining up one or more apiece are Mary Piokford and Buddy Rogers, Jules Levey, Sam Bischolf, Charlie Chaplin, Hunt Stromberg and Charles Rogers., • The Nassours have a circus pic- ture starring Clyde Beatty set to follow "Africa," and their new lot is tenanted by such indies as Pine- Thomas, Philip Krasne, Gene Ray- mond, W. Lee Wilder, Trinity Films and Jack Benny's Amuse- ment Enterprises. NASSOUR STUDIOS START YEAR WITH HEFTY SKED Hollywood. Nassour Studios are , getting off to a good start in 1949 with tour companies definitely slated to shoot in January, making it the busiest rental lot in town. There may also be a fifth starter. In addition, studio has four rental deals lined up for February and two more toi March. , t » January starters are W. Lee Wilder's "By Hook or By Crook, Matty-Kemp's and Gene Raymonds second Masque Production, as. y" untitled; a feature from Prolestani Film Commission; and an unais- closed filnj for which condacls W»" be signed this week.