Variety (December 1954)

10 Wednesday, December 15, 1934 pictiuks ISSraEfr IN U. S. FRENCHMEN GO IT ALONE; MONEY DOESN’T JUSTIFY COOPERATION The individualistidally • minded f fj k French producers cannot see the point of undertaking an industry- wide effort to push French fea- tures in the U. S. and instead pre- fer going their separate ways, sup- porting only those films that show definite commercial appeal. It is this attitude, along with the realization that funds available are insufficient to meet the require- ments of exploitation in the Amer- ican market, which has ruled out any possibility of establishing a French industry office in N. Y., ac- cording to George Lourau, leading French producer-distrib and presi- dent of Unifrance. Latter is the org set up by the French to pro- mote their pix in markets abroad. Unifrance is expanding outside the U. S. New offices will be es- tablished in London and Madrid in January, Lourau said. As for the U. S.: “We just don’t have enough money to do a job here. There’s no use spending just a small amount. It’d just be lost,” he commented. Asked whether he didn’t think that the job done by Italian Films Export in publicizing Italo star names in this country was of value at the b.o., Lourau agreed, but countered with another question: “Do you think IFE has been a suc- cess?” Answer, which Lourau failed to supply, is that—finan- cially—the Italo agency has been running- in the red, partly due to a lack of top attractions during the first half of 1954 and partly due to overhead. Significantly, Lourau has been talking a deal for his “Wages of Fear” with IFE, indications being that the Italians are hot after the property on which bidding has been heavy. Lourau, who’s repped in the U. S. by John G. McCarthy, said he wasn’t talking either for any of his other pix or for films from other French producers. Play Up ’Big’ Ones He said he believed basically in the ability of the indies to release French films in the American mar- ket, but occasional “big” pic- tures would come along which needed different handling. Lourau said the French government would not allow French producers to ac- cept lira guarantees from IFE for French films that might be taken on by IFE in N. Y. There was con- cern among the indies that, were such deals allowed, the Italians could easily outbid any American indie. McCarthy explained reports that he would become IFE prexy, say- ing that he and the Italians had been discussing theoretical devel- opments, should IFE take on “Wages of Fear.” “I’d want to be in a position to supervise distri- bution of the picture, and for that I would have to be close to the organization,” he stated. Lourau is one producer who be- lieves firmly that the French should continue making their films primarily for their own domestic audiences and not with a view to their potential in the U. S. mar- ket. He said 40%> of the French industry’s revenue now comes from abroad—it used to be 25%— and that of the 40%, only 10% maximum is derived from the American market. With the ex- ception of making films that also happen to appeal to U. S. audi- ences, there is little the French industry can do to better its Amer- ican take, he felt. McCarthy added that one of the problems of the foreign producer was that the U. S. is “self-con- tained.” Unlike exhibs elsewhere, American theatremen can get along without imports, he opined. “So the best we can do is just nibble around the edges of the market and hope to get as nug-h of it as possible,” he added. C'Scope-Slanted Lourau’s production program via his Filmsonor outfit is being slanted towards Cinemascope, a tendency common to other Euro- pean producers. “More and more theatres are equipping for Cinema- Scope, and they need the product,” he observed. He thought that, with the proper subjects, the C’Scope tag might aid French im- ports in grabbing off a more siz- able slice of business in the Amer- ican commercial houses. Slated for C'Scope treatment by Lourau next year is a story based on the Lido show in Paris, a musi- cal revue which will be done in color; and a new Rene Clair film, “Les Grandes Maneuvres,” which rolls next April. A comedy-drama played against the background of a small French cavalry garrison town in 1912, it’ll star Gerard Philipe. Lpurau is also coproducer of thr Sacha Guitry film, “Napoleon,” which is due for completion at the end of January. It was shot for the wide screen but not in Cinema- Scope. Asked whether he was con- cerned about American censor ac- tivity, the French producer an- swered in the negative. “We pro- duce for Europe,” he said. “We don’t care particularly about what the censors do here.” He said tha.t, in France, films occasionally drew criticism from the Catholic Church, but that such condemna- tion didn’t carry the same b. o. weight as it might in the U. S. Re: Festivals On the question of the Cannes and Venice film festivals, Lourau said that, privately, he wasn’t sure that one such event a year wasn’t sufficient. However, he added, “I am a good citizen,” pointing out that both the French and the Ital- ian governments had declared that the festivals would continue to- gether. As president of Unifrapce, Lourau said he would support both festivals every year. The In- ternational Federation of Film Producers Assns. at its last meet in Madrid decided that, starting in 1956, it would only support one competitive international film fest a year. It urged Cannes and Ven- ice authorities to agree on an ar- rangement under which they’d go on alternate years. Heart Clinic By Circuit A special closed-circuit session for doctors over a coast-to-coast network is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Feb. 9. Telecast, presented by the American Medical Assn., will con- cern heart disease. The “videoclinic” will be trans- mitted by coaxial cable and micro- wave relay by the Tele-Sessions division of Theatre Television Net- work to hotels and auditoriums in about 50 cities. At locations where the TNT telecast is scheduled for showing, local county medical so- cieties will serve as hosts. More than 18,000 doctors are expected to witness the telecast. Skipping any distribution tieup with Italian Films Export for the present at least, International Af- filiates will handle the N.Y. first- run bow of George Lourau’s "Wages of Fear.” French pic is due to open at the Paris Theatre around next February. Decision to go it alone for the opener was taken by Lourau and John G. McCarthy, International Affiliates topper and Lourau’s U.S. rep, prior to the French producer’s departure for Paris Monday (13). Failure of IFE and Lourau to agree on a deal is attributed to IFE’s reluctance to allow McCarthy to assume the kind of control in the Italo agency which Lourau be- lieves is necessary to insure proper handling of his pic or pix, as the case may be. Discussions while Lourau was in N.Y. centered on the possibility of McCarthy moving in as IFE prexy. In such a case, it’s reasoned, the entire Lourau lineup would likely have gone into the IFE fold which, though now bolstered by some strong product, could stand more b.o. films. It’s understood that IFE also wasn’t exactly happy about a proposition under which it would take over “Wages of Fear” follow- ing the firstrun engagement in N.Y. It did agree to such an ar- rangement on two prior occasions, one in the case of “The Little Crock Mag Inltrvitwtr Maurice Zolotow hat kit own Ideas of The Quiet Ones (Inlarviawt Thai It) * * * one of Hio many byline piece* in the upcoming 49 th Anniversary IS umber of I'SniE ty DUE SOON Cooper Producing Third Cinerama for Thomas; Wages to Whitney Corp. Hollywood, Dec. 14. Merian C. Cooper, who recently inked a straight five year deal as production veepee of new C. V. Whitney Pictures, Inc., with per- mission by Whitney for extra du- ties, has closed verbal agreement with Low'ell Thomas to co-produce “Seven Wonders of the World," which will be Cinerama’s third re- lease. Cooper explains that whatever salary he receives from Cinerama will go to Whitney company. Cooper and Thomas had worked on "Wonders” idea earlier. Thomas recently resigned presidency of Cinerama to set up Lowell Thomas Productions under whose banner "Wonders” will now be made. Cooper has already completed story line. Over weekend he sent Andrew Marton to Athens to re- place Ted Tetzlaff, who became hospitalized while directing camera unit. Paul Mantz, who previously had headed camera unit in other parts of world, also was dispatched to Far East with another unit. Max Steiner will compose, Lou Forbes directs music score. Milburn McCarty Associates, Inc., has been chartered to conduct a motion picture, advertising and publishing business in New York, with capital stock of $10,000, $1 par value. Directors are: Milburn McCarty and Eleanor White Mc- Carty and Millard L. Midonick. Polier & Midonick were filing attorneys. without a middleman. World of Don Camillo” and the other — in modified form — with “Bread, Love and Dreams.” In both instances IFE did handle the publicity end of the runs. For a producer to handle the N.Y. firstrun himself is a policy that entails a certain risk. If the pic clicks, he’s in a position to ask tall coin from a distrib. If it doesn’t—and this was the case with "Don Camillo”—it doesn’t bring any price. On the other hand, there are obvious economic advan- tages in milking the N.Y. release Ix-'Varitly' Reporter Claude Binyon ho* written hit own private viewpoints on 1954—More or Less * * * a humorous byline piece in the forthcoming 49th Anniversary Number of Z'SkIETy DDE SOON ‘Wages’ Into Paris, N. Y., on Own; Lourau-Italian Deal Snags New York Sound Track Senn Lawler from Kansas City (Fox) writes Variety as follows: “Coincidental announcements by Mike Todd and David Selznick that they (each or both) intended to make "War and Peace” prompts one to wonder if the millions of people who never progressed beyond Page 10 in the book should be regarded as a potential audience for the picture.” One of the oldest and most celebrated props on the Universal lot | is no more. The 60-by-40-foot rug, purchased about 30 years ago for $8,500 by the late Carl Laemmle when he saw it in the foyer of the La Scala Opera House in Milan, has come to an ignominious end. Reason was a hurry-up call for 150 carpet b^gs to be carried by travelers in a St. Louis railroad station for a sequence in “Tacey,” a st^y dealing with a period when carpet bags were common. So they cut the rug . . . Cecil B. •DeMille taking liberties in lensing "Ten Commandments.” He’s substituting camels, presumably because they’re more picturesque, for the oxen that were used in the period . . . Asso- ciated Motion Picture Advertisers holds its 38th annual Christmas party Dec. 21 at the Piccadilly Hotel . . . Loew’s prexy Nicholas M. Schenck and veepee and treasurer Charles Moskowitz, postponed their trip to the Coast because of the illness of production chief Dore Schary. . Alan Stone named assistant account ♦xec under Fred Golden in the- atrical department of Blaine-Thompson ad agency . . . Praesens Films of Zurich, Switzerland, headed by Lazar Wechsler, has signed licensing agreement to produce all forthcoming pix in Perspecta stereophonic sound . . . Frances Langford signed for Universal’s “The Benny Good- man Story.” It’s the thrush’s second role In a film biog of an orch leader, first being “The Glenn Miller Story,” also for U. . . . A. P. Waxman to handle publicity-exploitation of “Princess Cinderella” for Carroll Pictures. , Tyrone Power said at a press luncheon in Toronfo last week (while there in “The Dark Is Light Enough”) that he has really liked only four of his 40 Hollywood films—“Blood and Sand,” "Razor’s Edge,” “Nightmare Alley” and “The Long Grey Line,” his new one for John Ford. William A. Harper named associate producer by Fred Feldkamp’s newly formed FF Productions, independent company which has sched- uled two untitled features for 1955. Harper headed the Marine Corps Photographic Dept, on the staff of the Commandant during (lie Korean war, more recently in tv and commercial film production in N.Y. Actor Alan Dexter, the Hollywood version of the Alan Dreeben known to Broadway legit, in town last week to see the plays . . .Despite Cecil B. DeMille’s offer to pay half of the $25,000 needed to save the old DeMille home place in Washington, N. C., townspeople failed to get up their half. Schine Trial Opens With Federal Request Witnesses Be Excluded; Allege Tricky Legal Devices FILM MEN RAISE FUNDS Mulvey, Depinet, Schwartz Spark N. Y. Charities Trio of film industry execs in N.Y. is taking an active hand in fund raising. James A. Mulvey, president of Samuel Goldwyn Productions, is film division chairman for the N. Y. Visiting Nurse Service’s campaign, which has a quota of $425,000. Ned E. Depinet, RKO consultant, is seeking contributions for the Young Women's Christian Assn. Sol A. Schwartz, president of RKO Theatres, is working in be- half of the Arthritis and Rheuma- tism Foundation. Sclnvartz, incidentally, manned a telephone on the ABC telethon benefit for the ARF Saturday (11). Among the contributions he ac- knowledged was one for $1,000 from Albert A. List, RKO Theatres board chairman. RKO audience collections provided over $3,000 for the same cause. ‘NICKLEODEON’ BANQUET HONORS FOUR VETS Philadelphia, Dec. 14. Four film pioneers, veterans of the nickelodeon era, will be hon- ored by Motion Picture Associates of Philadelphia at a dinner in the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Jan. 18. They are William C. Hunt, oper- ator of a chain of theatres in the Jersey resort area; Abe Sablosky, who began in Norristowm, Pa., and later became a v.p. of the Stanley Co. of America; Benjamin Amster- dam, who began as a distrib and later formed Atlantic Theatres, South Jersey chain, and Albert R. Boyd, indie exhib who also became a Stanley Co. v.p. and for whom the Boyd Theatre here was named. The diwner will be held in con- junction with the dedication of the "Nickelodeon,” replica of an early type of film house which has been set up in the Franklin Institute, under the sponsorship of William Goldman, indie exhib and produ- cer. Nickeloden is planned by Gold- man as a shrine' to the industry. George Jessel will be the toast- master at the MPA dinner. Buffalo, Dec. 14. Trial of Schine Theatres Inc. and associated defendants in Fed- eral Court here on charges of criminal and civil contempt opened last week before Judge John Knight. The Government attorney, John G. McDowell, immediately requested the judge to order the courtroom cleared of witnesses because he feared there was “dan- ger of recollections being altered if witnesses hear each other.” The judge granted this request. Prior to the trial Judge Knight had denied a motion by Schine counsel which would have required the Government to produce cer- tain documents and reports claimed to be germane to the case. In opening the proceeding Mc- Dowell charged the defendants had used “schemes and subterfuges” in many separated parts of the United States in a further conspiracy to conceal their interest in and op- eration of the theatres of which they had been ordered to divest themselves in Federal Court in 1949. The use of dummy corporate organizations such as Hildamart, Darnell and Elmart corporations were cited as being the means by which the subterfuge was carried on. In Wooster, O., the Justice Department attorneys stated, cer- tain theatres were supposed to have been turned over to one Joseph Cohen whom the Govern- ment alleges never operated any theatre there and thpt the claimed sales to him were fictitious opera- tions defeating the Government requirement that Schine dispose of the theatres. Fostoria, O., was also cited by McDowell as a situation in which Schine interests had made os- tensible disposition of the theatre to a Schine-owned subsidiary, on the strength of which, Schine chain was permitted to keep a theatre in Tiffin, O., in consideration for giving up Fostoria. Schine counsel claimed a three- year limitation on matters of con- tempt barred proof of acts alleged lo have occurred before March 1-951,