Variety (November 1954)

PICTURES Print Costs (Especially Color) Cloud Foreign Hinterlands; U.S. No Like Over-Dependence PiVRIEfY Hy Dabb, Vet Showman, Heads Makelim PR As Exhib-BIessed Plan Starts Hy Daab, veteran film publicist, has been named public relations director of the Hal R. Makelim organization. Daab, former pub- ad chief of RKO and Columbia and on the press staff of David O. Selznick will immediately take over supervision of a global press campaign for Makelim’s exhibitor- guarantee picture plan. Wednesday, November 17, 1954 Improved flow of quality prod--* Selznick will immediately take uct and increased bookings, par- C AmilF Wlufnmj’c Fo*»tiii*AC over supervision of a global press j ticularlv in the hinterlands of for- OOnDy W DlUiey S reaiUreb campai g n f 0 r Makelim’s exhibitor- UCU y bpine credited Hollywood, Nov. 10. guarantee picture plan, eign coun . _ evera i New indie film company, C. y. Meanwhile, Makelim is speed- for the continuing rise in sevtuai pi c t ure s, Inc., was formed ing up his sa i es drive. Latest clr- of the film outfits’ grosses abroad. kere b y Cornelius Vanderbilt Cld t to sign for the 12 Makelim- Comnanv thinking on ways and Whitney and Merian C. Cooper. pro duced attractions is the Alli- , thp eticks in the Former will function as president anc * e circuit, operators of 53 the- means of tapping the st and latter as yeepipe in charge of atres in the Chicago area and the foreign territories clittei, duc pro duction. Program calls for two p ac ifi e Northwest. According to there’s no question of the basic features a year. Makelim, this boosts to 232 the- nrnhiprm i p how to buck rising Company has acquired the new atres signed within the last 10 problem i.e. how to buck rising A1{m LeMay nQyel( .. The Aven ging days> al i on play or pay contracts distribution costs created by the Texans,” and will produce it as f or the complete Makelim sched- industry’s swing to color and yet “The Searchers” as its first film. u j e> The. producer, who has al- cover an alien market as close to Meanwhile Cooper will continue as ready traveled over 73,000 miles 100% as possible. president of Argosy Pictures, in ln a pitch for his plan, left for the Foreign markets break down which he is partnered with John south and southwest this week something like this: (1) The hard- Ford - for talks with exhibitor leaders. core key firstruns constituting ■ ■ . ■ 1 111 ■■■' His itinerary includes the con- 25% of the theatres.. (2) Smaller n 1 BA a vention of the Theatre Owners of and more outlying situations, ac- HfiBlV Mgt North and South Carolina in Char- counting for 50%; (3) The rest, " . lotte as well as stopovers in At- scattered in the hinterlands, mak- Continued from page 3 lanta and Dallas. ing up another 25%. Its this last Wfta j.y lor | ac . + , 1 , 00 i r » e mmmmmmmmmmtmmammm 25% which, for reasons of econ- “ eat ‘ ier for last weeK s w ciosea : ; omy, the American distribs haven’t circuit was perfect.” been reaching in the past and Connors, however, points out pilllUgdl .Mansion" 6 * ““ r °° m that th * audienCe obviouSlj ' en ‘ Continued Iron. p«« 5 expansion. joyed the videocast, “although The reason why the Americans tittering at several of below-the-line costs which it pro- have been abandoning that theatre s . 1 „ g 1 s e 1 J" vides. Amateau is seeking an sector to the native competition the interviews. He notes that the agreement whereby the Portuguese is, to a considerable extent, color Photography was not nattering to government would receive its cut and the high cost of tint prints. ( the women singers. from the eastern hemisphere dis- Take a Technicolor feature \ The appearance and acting of tribution while the American launched in the keys. By the time the opera performers came in for group would get its share via the the print has played through its comment on seT eral fronts this western hemisphere rights. This is bookings in category one and two wepk N Y TimM i wi* v the system usually employed in co- —representing 75% of the market Crowther discussed the subject i£ P roduction deals with foreign film --the prints are worn out. The dis- hls Sunday (14) rounduP( c J ompar _ makers. trib then has the choice of order- ing the vidcast with t he IFE color T he American Production Group, Ing additional color prints for the d i m ve rsion of “Aida.” He said which acts as liaison, “policeman remaining 25% (the small houses) that some of the mu ‘ sica i ar tists and accountant,” receives a per- and take the risk of not getting « look incongruous to the romantic centage for arranging the deal and his money back, or find a way ro i es they are i d> when observed for taking the responsibility for the of servicing these theatres in the inevitable closeup on the conduct of the producers it recom- *°me fashion. theatre screen.” In contrast, Crow- mends. It is also charged with the Within the past year, one or two ther notes that the use of dubbed dut y of making sure that a film of the companies have leaned to voices in the IFE film “permits the completed in Portugal receives an the view that it’s more economical combination of fine singing and American release. In addition, it to pull in the horns and effect handsome characters appearing on ac ^ s as arbitrator in disputes be- all the savings possible by con- the screen.” tween American producers and the centrating on the keys where, of The “Aida” sequence of the Por ^ u 2uese government and serves course, a greater part of the rev- closed-circuit telecast, the Italian a ? overse «- to see that work sched- enue is obtained. Other distribs fi i m version of the opera, and the ul ^ s h ™ d to : are m a more expansionist mood, <- T his Is Cinerama” sequence . Eventually, the American Pro- realizing all the while that a care- filmed at Rome’s La Scala served ductl °n Group, which has 10-year ful check has to be kept on dis- reviewers f<£ com P ara?ive com exclusive deal with Portugal, tribution costs to prevent service me nts Otis Guernsev in the N Y hopes to finance production in Por- in group three to become uneco- Herald Tribune felt that the filmed tugaL . 11 * s now in the Process of nomical via an unbalanced ratio triumphal march of the IFE film amassing funds for this purpose, of income and expenses. could not hold a candle to the ° b 3 ect of the co-production ar- ‘Penetration in Depth’ Cinerama version while' Crowther « ^ om the standpoint of One of the wavs in which the commented that the IFE picture 4b f Portuguese government, is to distribs think they can lick the surpassed the operacast and “the {^he'locaf iSdusti^ ^It has°Sere- problem of serving the outlying fore introduced a new cost factor, theatres is by providing black- scene on the current Cinerama pro- knoWn ag between-the-line costs. and-white prints of color pix. This g * ... . , , This provides for the bringing over r&iscs the Question of where to The production cost of present - nf lcev American technicians with draw the line between group two ing the televised version of the the^ cost being ahared 50 50 bv the an,d three, since-in the fringe opening night cost $100,000, ac- Amerkan p^oducm and Portugal area one exhibitor may pay a cording to TNT topper Nate Hal- The government-owned studios in lot for a -tint print whereas the pern. The telecast required 350,000 Lisbon are currently being sur- man near him may pay much less watts of special lighting as com- veved bv Maurice Seuss a Hollv- for a black-and-white edition of pared to the 30,000 to 40,000 watts W ood technical exnert ’ the same film. for an average television show. To encourage American produc- “Penetration in depth,” is the T vf, 1 e ^ as 1 ? 10r 4 .K ^ an feet of e rs to film yarns with specific Por- way one foreign market exec de- Wlre ln opera house for tuguese themes or backgrounds, an scribed his company’s efforts to „ e telecast * American producer can, obtain an widen* the scope of bookings in Metopera will receive a cut additional 30% of his production given territories. We are con- the .overage oh the charity take budget if the government feels cer- vinced that a scheme can be de- m addition to a percentage of the tain the picture will do a good vised which will help us to get b 0 - receipts which it'll share with public relations job for the coun- a larger share of a foreign market Halpern. • try. area which we are now barely ~ ' on A x Cinerama Retires $758,000 of Loans Coast recently that the income from abroad was rising at the rate —-— of 1% each year. That’s fine with the sales execs, as long as this ‘Productions’ Due for Added Profits From Nine rise corresponds to similar in- M . 0 * 1 . x* creases in the domestic u. s. rev- Newest Situations enue. At the moment, the for- ; market gi\ r es the AmcriPATi companies around 42% of th» r Cinerama Productions, with a. erama and SW splitting the take, revenue, with the figure fhwtnat. net $163,000 from Nov. 1. Cinerama Productions earmarks ing from company to coinoanv" 1953, to ^ ept ' 25, 1954, has paid 42< ^ - for tbe payment of bank Only a comparatively few back ^ 758 ’ 000 in principal and $36,- loans, leaving 8% as its profit mar- ago, the percentage ,vas 35 ^ to 000 in interest on outstanding gin. eign dollar remittances in 10^4 loails * Debt P a y ments were made As yet Cinerama Productions has are expected to rise to a rrrmvi from Aug ‘ 13, 1953, date Stanley received no income from nine ad- $180,000 000 u u Warner took over the rights to the ditional Cinerama outlets opened One commnv t nn ^ ^ out medium * until N ° v • l 2 - 1954. in the U. S. under SW jurisdiction. ,u°t Eld «f a P - ned thls Total of $794,000 in debt pay- It will receive a share of the profits ket ever el 8 ., fir .1 fol . elgn mar ' nients represents 42% of Cinerama after all expenses, including the ■K.CI ever lise to the DOinf. Whpro Pl’A^lintinnc' snftt rhnro n ( i j. /_i l Robert Rossen in from London Monday (15) for calls at United Artists. He has a Jan. 15 starting date for the production in Spain of “Alexander the Great,” .which UA will release . . . Some N. Y. trade execs burning oyer the meager play given President Eisenhower’s briefi^ film plea for aid for Korean war victims. Only 3,000 theatres ran the clip, others simply didn’t bother . . . Albums of stills from films starring Greta Garbo, Charles Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino and other early-day luminaries have been placed on public sale by N. Y.'s Museum of Modem Art. Portfolio containing 10 separate prints is priced at $4. Group of stills from pix directed by Sergei Risenstein (Remember?) which are heavier stock, is $4.50 .. . Director Frank Lloyd accompanied by location technicians Henry Holmes and John Burke are scouting San Antonio area for prospective re-telling of the Alamo story. Rudy Vallee who opened last Monday (15) at the Cafe de Paris in London has just finished his first film role in some time, “Gentle- men Marry Brunettes,” starring Jane Russell, which was shot in Paris, Monte Carlo and England. Interesting angle is that Vallee was picked for the part apparently as a direct result of a summer stock notice when he played Oquinquit, Me and was covered by Variety’s stringer, Curt Elie . . . That lameduck holiday, Armistice Day, the celebration of a journalistic blunder, pretty much closed all the film offices in •town . . . Robert Reinhart, who was once a Variety staffer has finally decamped the Hotel Ansonia, where his family moved in 1913 . . . he now has a magic gadget manufacturing business and lives and works at Montgomery, N. Y. . . . this sheet’s recent review of Mae West at the Latin Quarter, recalled that when she opened with a new act at Keith's Colonial in 1922 her ”& Co.” was Harry Richman ■. ’ . latter, has now emerged from retirement, having lost a bundle breeding cattle in drought-afflicted Nevada . . . he's currently at the Bradford Roof in Boston . . . his ninth appearance there over the years. Per Harvey Hickey of Toronto Globe and Mail staff, Field Marshal Montgomery hits for Hollywood after his N. Y. visit. "I’m going to see it with Sam Goldwyn,” he told Hickey. “They say he’s the fellow to see it with.” . . . Arthur M. Loew, in London for Monday' (15) Royal Command Performance of Metro’s “Beau Brummel” at Em- pire Theatre . . . Fred and Beatrice Troller, the Swiss couple featured in Louis de Rochemont’s “Cinerama Holiday,” have returned to their native Zurich to resume their ordinary lives after the fling in picture making . . . Theodore Streibert, head of the U. S. Information Agency, told the Overseas Press Club that “This Is Cinerama” will be .shown at the international falr.In Bangkok where it is hoped it will duplicate the success it had at the Damascus international fair where Cinerama overshadowed the Soviet exhibit' reported Steibert, “it’s rumored that the Russians have learned of our plan and may not exhibit in Bangkok.” Louis Lober, United Artists general manager of the foreign depart- ment, had two occasions to celebrate last week. He rounded out 25 years in the industry and at the same time marked his 25th wedding h anniversary. He’s one of the vete to be inducted as a Motion Picture Pioneer Nov. 17 . . » Once the boys at 20th-Fox coin a slogan, they find it tough to give up. Some years back, 20th tried to lift the industry by its bootstraps by organizing “Movies are Better than Ever” cam- paigns throughout the country. Drive was a temporary success, with Cinemascope replacing the slogan in more tangible fashion. Now along come the fancy 20th Invites to the “Desiree” preem at the R.oxy, Nov. 17 which is billed as a “Command Performance.” Atop the invi- tations, under a picture of Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons, is the inscription: “Les Films SOnt Meilleurs Que Jamais.” 20th obviously thinks “Desiree” proves that point! ' Lynda Lynch, 17-year-old daughter of Fred Lynch, ad-publicity di- rector of the N.Y. Music Hall, is now a dancer in "Pajama Game” . . . Joe Scboenfeld, editor of Variety’s daily in Hollywood,, has returned to the Coast. John Davis Cites Cases Continued from page I ‘Productions’ Due for Added Profits From Nine Newest Situations it accountV for f, ^ 'J h f, re Productions' 50% share of the cost of installing equipment (about industry's ta 50 °^ ot the Prints of the four theatres Ciner- $100,000 per theatre) and the ex- disastronc cifnot- .. W0U J? be a ama Productions opened before penditure for the production of nlained that cmpi! ‘ *. He ex ~ the Stanley Warner takeover. “Cinerama Holiday” (about $2,000,- fnfpr <> }„• SUC j a ra ^ 10 would These houses are in New York, 000), are recouped, and w i„i5 g S?? domestic market, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Financial report went out to fipnondinf ma ke the industry too The four situations chalked up'a stockholders Monday (15) with the remittance ° n uncertain forei 6h net profit of about $1,800,000 dur- announcement of the annual meet- ring the 15-month period, with Cin- ing Dec. 7. son had appealed for more British pictures geared for American au- diences to meet the anticipated product shortage.” While welcoming these over- tures, Davis shares the viewpoint of his chief that, in broad essen- tials, the American/cinemagoer en- joys the same entertainment as film patrons in other parts of the world. They find it difficult to understand, therefore, why British pix which click in Canada, other parts of the Dominions, in Europe and the Far East still fail to get little more than a nibble out of the vast American market. Breakdown on Big Pix Chapter and verse on the com- parative earnings of key British pix in the domestic and American markets was provided by Davis as follows: The domestic gross of “Gene- vieve” in. the U. K. was $1,050,000; its U. S. gross was $400,000, of which $220,000 will be remitted to, Britain. For “The Cruel Sea,” the domestic gross equalled $840,000; U. S. earnings were $600,000, with a return to Britain of $338,000. “The Pool of London,” domestic gross was $392,000; U. S. gross $40,000, with half that sum to be remitted. “The Promoter” (Alec Guinness starrer), U. K. earnings totalled $476,000; U. S. gross was $400,000, with $200,000 remitted. “Outpost in Malaya,” with Claudette Colbe'rt to provide U. S. marquee appeal, had a domestic gross of $509,000; its American earnings amounted to only $90,000. The biggest individual British grosser in the American market in the last year was the Rank Coronation film, “A Queen is Crowned,” which racked up a gross of $602,702. “I had protested pre- viously,” Davis commented, “that this film would not earn more than $600,000 In the U. S. In the event. I have apparently been proved wrong by just over $2,000.” Davis reckoned that a good re- turn for a top British picture in the U. S. should be approximately twice its earning capacity in Great Britain. This had never been achieved. In fact, at no time had one ever approached such a return. Even such major hits as “Hamlet” and “Henry V” had not got any- where near that amount. ’Red Shoes' Biz Topped Brit. However, “The Red Shoes” was an exception. After playing 108 weeks at a small N. Y. theatre, sub- sequently, it went on countrywide release and American receipts were double the British total gross. Emphasizing that they were only seeking a fair crack at the market, the Rank aide illustrated the box- office stamina of British films in the home market by pointing out that, on their two circuits last year, the top grossers were 12 American ana 12 locally-made pro- ductions. The earnings of these 24 films were almost equal. Miami Cops Continued from page 3 sa a house can be closed down unless the showing of the disputed film was stopped. They have power, however, to make an arrest if a scene considered objectionable in the obscene category, is contained irr the exhibit. To close the theatre local officials would be forced to seek an injunction from the Cir- cuit Court, no known local ordi- nance providing for such a drastic move. Odd factor is reaction of the detectives who made the arrest: they thought the European product was a dull job except for the scenes found “obscene."