Variety (December 1954)

24 PICTURES iSfitelETY Wednesday, Deceml>er 15, 1954 Clips From Film Row 7 + + +++♦♦♦+♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ + + + NEW YORK Louise Leonard, manager of Loew s Lexington Theatre, recov- ering from an operation. A1 Gutterman. manager of Loew’s Coney Island Theatre, con- valescing at home after hospitaliza- tion for a back injury. Altec Service Corp. inked a pact with Stepamclau Inc., a Brandt Theatres subsid, covering sound equipment in 14 New Jersey houses. Deal was negotiated by Martv Wolf. Altec assistant sales manager, and Arthur Sommer, who repped Brandt. William Moclair, Roxy Tlieatie N. Y.. managing director, bedded by virus attack, but hopes to be back on the job this week. CHICAGO Package show of four short subjects produced by George K. Arthur opening at Carnegie foi Xmas. . .. Oriental Theatre painting in- terior for first time since it opened in 1926; also mulling the “flying C'Seope screen for possible stage shows. Variety Club of Illinois present- ed additional checks amounting to $75,000 to La Rabida Sanitarium, partly from work done by women s group of the local tent. Chicago Theatre held nearly a five-hour show last week in pre- viewing 98-minute “So ’1 his Is Paris” and uncut version of “Star Is Born.” . Bill Carroll, Chicago American amusement editor, starting new midweek feature to bally the best films currently playing here as picked by critic Ann Marsters. John Balaban. B&K topper, back from his resort in La Quinta, Calif. LOS ANGELES Herh Kaufman, former manager for Hal R. Makelim enterprises in the midwest, upped to veopee of company, succeeding John Wolf- berg. resigned. Dave Bovd assigned as manager of Fox West Coast s Culver City merchandising warehouse follow- ing the retirement of Murray L. Mosby. George Bagnall & Associates. Inc., signed George Green as sales rep covering 11 western states, with headquarters here. He for- merly was with KGO-TV, San Francisco. William B. Hughes, with Ansco for 14 years, upped to manager of company’s L. A. sales district, cov- ering California, Nevada and Arizona. M. Spencer Leve aDpointed su- pervisor of southern California di- vision of Fox West Coast. He for- merly was supervisor of circuit’s northern California division and more recently assistant to Edwin F. Zabel. FWC’s general manager. $25-a-plate dinner to benefit MPA welfare fund. Merton Shapiro, co-owner of the Arcadia, Merben and Mayfair, suf- fered broken leg in an auto acci- dent, in which his wife also was injured. Don Battles, manager of the RDA Club, one of the midtown’s larger private clubs, played host to the entire Vine Street film colony at a pre-holidays cocktail party. Jack Beresin named to handle Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio, Maryland and D.C. territory for amusement division of National Conference of Christians and Jews. Jay Emanuel, trade publisher, will serve as city chairman for Beresin. Gene Tuniek named local branch manager for United Artists, suc- ceeding Mort Magill, who resigned to become division sales manager for Walt Disney’s Buena Vista. Tuniek formerly was Eagle-Lion branch manager in Indianapolis and N. Y. Opera Aid ^ Continued from pas* 3 — also opined that audiences are now ready for more good music on the screen. Via Cinemascope and ste- reo sound, opera may well come into its own in film theatres, he thought, adding there was no rea- son why someone couldn’t take the CinemaScope cameras into the Metropolitan Opera and film a show directly off the boards for excellent musical and visual ef- fects. Birnbaum, who works under Al- fred Newman, the studio's music director, said three days had been spent at the studio to record mu- sical effects for the sidewall speak- ers. “However,” he commented, “there has to be a purpose to it. If we used that track indiscrimi- nately, we’d get complaints. Exhibs have held that the studios are wast- ing the fourth track and that there was no purpose in investing in the necessary speakers for it. With the studio since 1938, Birn- baum said a definite attempt was being made now to get mow music into pix and that orchestration and content was more important than ever in view of the big screen. Too many composers, he thought, have a tendency to let their music domi- nate a scene. At 20th, he said, New- man was careful not to let the mu- sic intrude on the dramatic quali- ties of a scene. EXHIB OVER THE LINE City Orders PodolofT to Move Theatre Back Five Inches MANCHESTER, N. H. Mt. Mansfield Co., operator of the skiing area in Stowe, Vt., produced a new film, “Stove Flur- ries.” Ted Powers of Station WDEV in Waterbury is narrator for hour-long color pic showing skiing activities in this area. Edward II. iPooch) Pucci, former Washington Redskins football star and film actor, is new athletic of- ficer with rank of second lieu- tenant at Ethan Allen Air Force Base here. He appeared as a gridiron star in four football pix. Gerald Shea, prexy of the chain, said Arinand Pepin will be trans- ferred from Westfield, Mass., to replace Scribner in Nashua. Albert W. Foley, who has been manager of the Strand, operated here by the Jamestown Amus. Co., promoted to manager of company’s Lawler Theatre, Greenfield, Mass. Louis Masson, assistant at the chain’s local theatres, temporarily took over management of the Am- herst, in Amherst, Mass. PHILADELPHIA Wendy Theatre. Darby, Pa., pur- chased by Art Silber, Abel and Silber Theatrical Enterprises. Jean Ferguson, former “Miss Pennsylvania,” signed for role in “Girl Rush.” Ed Karpcn changed name of Edgmont Theatre to Bridesburg. also acquired the Broadway, in Palmyra, N.J. Mickey Gfc'enwald resigned as Republic booker to join Jack Har- ris’ Exploitation Pictures. Lew Fortunato. formerly with Para- mount. replaces her. William Goldman, indie exhib and producer, named general Chairman of the Motion Picture Associates dinner committee. In- dustry pioneers will be honored at Minneapolis, Dec. 14. Joe PodolofT, owner of the local neighborhood Vogue theatre, has a headache. It’s caused by an order from the city council to move back his showhouse five inches, the cost of which w’ould be $5,000 an inch or a total of $25,000. The order was issued after a re- cent city street widening project revealed that the theatre encroach- es on city property to the extent mentioned. PodolofT now is frying to per- suade the council to permit him to try to work out some other solution of the problem. ‘Calico Pony’ for Col Hollywood, Dec. 14. “Calico Pony,” originally to have been one of late Leonard Gold- stein’s 10 pix for United Artists, lias been purchased by Copa Pro- ductions. It will be that indie’s initialer for Columbia release. Ted Rich- mond will produce. George Sher- man direct, Van Heflin star. • • Champion's 'Me, Too' Hollywood, Dec. 14. John Champion, indie producer, has issued a statement that he agrees with the. Screen Actors Guild in its recent request to the U. S. Immigration Department to restrict secondary foreign play- ers who fill roles that American thesps are capable of playing. As a result he has dropped nego- tiations for two European actresses to appear in two of his pictures, "Laredo" and "Gambler’s Lady.” America Oughta Get Into International Festival Act, Thinks A. W. Smith Washington, Dec. 14. An International Film Festival to be held in the U. S. was urged as “a wonderful thing” last week by Andrew W. Smith Jr., just re- signed as head of the motion pic- ture service of the U. S. Informa- tion Agency tp return to private business. The veteran film industry exec recommended such a festival for “Hollywood or some other Ameri- can city,” asserting it could do a lot toward improving international relations. Smith also recommend- ed that American studios continue to exhibit at foreign film festivals and to send only their best, despite such troubles as occurred last summer at the Venice Film Fes- tival. Smith said there was great sur- prise when J. Arthur Rank’s “Ro- meo and Juliet” took top honors away from “On the Waterfront,” and also expressed regret that Frank Capra turned down the in- vitation to serve on the Venice award jury. This, he explained, left this country without a man to observe the closed sessions at which decisions were made. Sol Siegel Continued from page 3 think there’s going to be much dif- ference between the two in the long run.” East to plug “Showbuslness,” Siegel said he thought the future of the industry might well rest with the independents and he ap- plauded the move towards produc- tion decentralization. “It gives a producer much more time to con- centrate on one or two pictures at hand, and it also provides him with a great deal more freedom,” he opined. * Siegel said that, like most other producers in Hollywood, he was concerned over the industry’s fail- ure to build a sufficient reservoir of star names. Development of marquee talent was extremely important, he held, but tempered this by stating that the casting of big names alone was no longer enough. “Under present conditions, the talent insurance policy has been torn up,” he observed. "If you have a star in a good picture, it helps tremendously. If the film is no good, no big name is going to save it.” Siegel plans to sign up a limited number of contract players for his own forthcoming films. Shortage of leading stars was re- sponsible for “top-heavy” talent deals, he observed. Siegel agreed that the moral standards of the audience had changed a good deal within the last two decades but opined that Hollywood was right in staying away from controversial themes. “We know by now that they don’t want to see politics in movies,” he said. “They may agree 100% wit'll what we are saying, but they just don’t think it’s entertainment. So what do you have left that’s really controversial? Occasionally you come across exciting plays on Broadw'ay. From a personal point of view, I’d probably be eager to make films out of them. But as a realist I wouldn’t do it. It’s easy enough to conjure up a ‘phony’ controversy, but making a quick buck isn’t a way of insuring audi- ence acceptance of such themes.” Feeling in general today is that grcateY pictures are being made, Siegel thought. “There’s more in- dependence all around and gradu- ally the area of tolerance on the part of both public and industry is growing.” Siegel admitted he had given up any idea of “educating” the pub- lic to an appreciation of the func- tions of a producer, but said he wished some of the leading crit- ics would develop a better under- standing of the activities and re- sponsibilities of producers. "They have a tendency to forget that a producer is ‘creative,’ too,” he said. “He has to be. He has to be able to ‘collaborate’ in a very real sense with a lot of people, from his director to his actors.” His departure from 20th was “very friendly," Siegel said, relat* ing that Darryl F. Zanuck, 20th production topper, had helped him to obtain a release from his con- tract which still had four years to run. Inside Stuff-Pictures Hollywood datelined piece by Victor Riesel in the N.Y. Mirror Dec. 13 headlined “Soviet Uses Movies To Stir Hatred Against Us” was promptly branded by Eugene W. Castle as “part of the campaign to get more funds for the United States Information Agency.” Riesel story hit four days before the opening of a seminar on the USIA at the Center for International Studies at Cambridge, called by PR counsel Edward L. Bemays. Criticizing a statement of Riesel with respect to India’s propaganda films, Castle declared, “He forgot to say that Indian exhibitors are obliged to purchase these films, but they do not show them because they are distasteful to their patrons.” Long critical of the whole concept of propaganda-angled films, Castle argues that no country, not even Russia itself, will willingly accept ideological “sell.” He argues that most of the costly cellulcrfd made by the Government is never seen by the people it is supposed to influence. “Americans would resent and resist films plainly designed to indoctrinate them with a foreign point of view’, and the citizens of all lands react in the same way. The fact (hat propaganda is made in the U.S.A. gives it no special appeal. Propaganda is poison anywhere and anytime. America needs none." Exhibitors came to the defense of Warner Bros, last w'eek following some sharp comments by N.Y. Times critic Bosley Crovvther on the cutting of “A Star Is Born.” Most N.Y. exhibitors consider the cuts justified from a theatreman’s viewpoint as the picture is overlong at three hours. However, they agreed with Crowther in that the picture should have been trimmed before being shown at all. Lengthy pic- tures disrupt the regular program and particularly upset schedules in double feature territories. They feel that many of the current films could benefit by judicious cutting. Metro, for example, has tightened its Sigmund Romberg biopic, “Deep in My Heart,” to 212 minutes for general release by eliminating an Esther Williams-George Murphy sequence. For the N.Y. Music Hall run, starting last Thursday <9), it has trimmed an additional 12 minutes siece the Hall won’t play a film longer than 200 minutes. More than 400 employees of the National Film Board will move into the new Montreal headquarters building early in 1956, according to A. W. Trueman, govt, film commissioner and NFB chief. Wet weather in the summer held up construction of the building on Mon- treal’s Cote de Liesse Road, but Trueman said he expected equipment and personnel would begin moving late in 1955 with the major switch coming In 1956’s winter. From Ottawa to Montreal will go production, technical, distribution and administrative staffs where, for the first time in the board’s 16-year history, they will all be housed under one roof. Facilities will include the first studio the Canadian govt, film- producing organization has ever owned. RKO’s Chi publicist Ralph Banghart has set a “Hansel and Gretel” children’s coloring contest with the Chicago Tribune to promote the pic before it opens the Loop Theatre on Dec. 22. Similar contest was staged earlier this year by United Artists for “Heidi.” Present contest runs three weeks, up to Christmas day, and is expected to build antici- pation among the moppets for the film. Over 2,500 prizes are involved, with firstprize winner getting trip to California, accommodations at Sheraton-Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, and airline passage by TWA. Revere Camera was tied in for two cameras and two projectors as prizes. Saranac Lake, N.Y., won the premiere of the picture, “The Silver Chalice,” that will be held at the local Schine Pontiac theatre Dec. 17. The little health city rated first in a contest that was national for the sales of Christmas Seals. It rated a per-capita of 84.92 in contribu- tions, with McCormick, So. Car. and Zanesville, Ohio, following. Vir- ginia Mayo, Pier Angeli, Jack Palance and Paul Newman all are skedded to appear at Saranac premiere. Town is agog oxer the coming event. Nothing like it since the late William Morris brought a show in at the Pontiac theatre with Sir Harry Lauder, A1 Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Belle Baker and other standard acts. One advantage accruing to motion picture companies which operate television film subsidiaries is that the picture execs can be kept well informed on video developments. At least that’s the Idea at Screen Gems, the Columbia subsid, which is turning out a weekly newsletter for “Columbia executives.” It’s a weekly wrapup, compiled largely from the trades, of tv developments of interest to the picture fraternity. Newsletter’s being turned out by Screen Gems publicist Frank Young. French and Belgian distribution rights to two Walt Disney films have been assigned to George Lourau, French producer-distrib. Pix are “The Vanishing Prairie” and "20.000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Duo is being released in the U.S. via Buena Vista Distributing Corp. Lourau is currently handling "The Living Desert” in those markets under an earlier deal. The Disney product used to be handled do- mestically and abroad by RKO. Distributors Corp. of America is taking 25% of the gross as its dis- tribution fee for handling indie films. Customary distribution charge for indies outside DCA has been around 30%. Fred J. Schwartz, DCA president, incidentally, refers to Paramount, Metro, etc., as the “older companies,” this in preference to the “majors.” Duke Clark to Dallas * Duke Clark, who has been active in the picture business since 1907, has joined United Artists as branch manager in Dallas. He suc- ceeds W. C. Hames, who resigned to form his own business. Clark held various distribution posts at Paramount in a 30-year as- f sociation that ended in 1952. More recently he was a field rep for the Council of Motion Picture Organ- j izations and distribution consultant for producer Jerome Cappi. Mitzi Gaynor Old Home Week Detroit, Dec. 14. Proudest papa hereabouts last week was Henry W. Gerber, 72. whose daughter, film star Mitzi Gaynor, came back home to intro- duce her husband of two weeks. Jack Bean. Papa Gerber, an amateur chef of renown in goulash circles, busied himself preparing Miss Gaynor’s favorite dishes. She, meanwhile, J toured the old neighborhood where she had grown up. went back to the old school, etc.—all of which was dutifully reported, with pics, in the local press for a ; boll publicity achievement. Arbitration Continued from pane 11 Assn., according to its officials, ! derpurred from taking part in the ; arbitration meetings of late be- cause rentals were ruled inar- bitrable by the distributors. Underlined by various sources as important in the new setup is ; conciliation. This means that the- j atre owners, prior to embarking on an arbitration expedition, must explore all possibilities of settling differences with the distributors in informal fashion. Implementing this will be the organization of special conciliation approaches. As outlined, the plan provides for means whereby the exhib can con- tact branch, district, division and general sales managers, up the line, in pursuit of an adjustment of his beef. If he’s not satisfied with the end result, he’s free to •give the arbitration tribunals a whirl. Theatremen electing to arbitrate their squabble, under the plan, must abide by the decisions for a minimum one-year period. That is, excepting instances where appeals are taken and adjudication of these appeals require “reasonable” time j over the one-year minimum.