Canadian Film Weekly (Aug 25, 1954)

we PA ee a eS — Se a ee “a August 25, 1954 CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY Page 3 I [UA AMNNS (A PREREWCAAG F Vol. 19, No. 32 August 25, 1954 HYE BOSSIN, Managing Editor BEN HALTER, Production Editor Address all communications— The Managing Editor, CANADIAN FILM WEEKLY 175 Bloor St. East, Toronto 5, Canada Entered as Second Class Matter Published by Film Publications of Canada, Limited 175 Bloor St. East, Toronto 5, Ontario, Canada — Phone WAlInut 4-3707 Price $3.00 per year. SEDG WICK WINS (Continued from Page 1) opposed by Pat Travers, business agent for Local 173, Toronto at the five-day Cincinnati convention for the vice-presidency guaranteed Canada by IA law. Voting is by slate and not by individual candidate. About 60 delegates from Canada’s 50-or-so IA locals saw the re-election of Sedgwick, who rose to fifth vice-president from eighth through seniority. Others chosen were Harland Holmden, secretary-treasurer; James G. Brennan, first vicepresident; Carl G. Cooper, second vice-president; Harry J. Abbott, third vice-president; Orrin M. Jacobson, fourth vicepresident; Albert S. Johnstone, sixth vice-president; William Donnelly, seventh vice-president; John A. Shuff, eighth vice-president, and Mrs. Louise Wright, ninth vice-president. The convention chose H. W. Lackey, Calgary, as the IA’s delegate to the Canadian Trades and Labor Congress at Regina. In his report President Walsh noted the IA’s gains in Canadian TV and its healthy state here under the guidance of Sedgwick, who succeeded the late Wm. P. Covert in 1952 as senior Canadian representative. It is expected that Canadian TV labor, as well as a film cameramen’s local now being organized by Sedgwick, will have delegates present at next year’s convention. The return of the administration indicated a rejection of the Brewer charge that local autonomy had been limited by it. Sedgwick, a prominent figure in Hamilton public life, resigned earlier this year as_ secretarytreasurer of the Ontario Federation of Labor. He is at present attending the Regina meeting as a delegate from his local. 20th-Fox'’ 'Untamed' Stage and screen actress Agnes Moorehead has joined 20th Century-Fox’ Untamed, cast of which is headed by Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward and Victor Mature. Henry King will direct the CinemaScope drama, location sequences for which have already been filmed in South Africa. UA Plans 48 For '54-5 Ove Business (Continued from Page 1) Lancaster, Stanley Kramer and the Russfield Corporation. UA has just concluded an agreement with Aubrey Schenck and Howard W. Koch, Indie partners, to distribute six pictures for them. Among these will be Big House, USA, The Swamp Fox, and Desert Battalion. Two of the other three will be Westerns. Work is about to begin on Paul Gregory’s Night of the Hunter, Hecht-Lancaster’s Gabriel Horn, Stanley Kramer’s Not as a Stranger and RussfieldVoyager’s Gentlemen Marry Brunettes. The latter film, starring Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain, will be shot in CinemaScope and color, in London, Paris and Monte Carlo, with Robert Bassler producing, Richard Sale directing. Krim listed the ten features on UA’s 1954-55 top category films as The Barefoot Contessa, The Purple Plain, Vera Cruz, Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, Not as a Stranger, Gabriel Horn, Night of the Hunter, Sitting Bull, Way West and Summer Time (formerly Time of the Cuckoo). All but Night of the Hunter and Not as a Stranger will be in color and three will be in CinemaScope. In the second category some of which might go into the first, he listed Suddenly, Kiss Me Deadly, Stranger on Horseback, Black Tuesday, Star of India, Canyon Crossroads, Down Three Dark Streets, Shield for Murder, Lilacs in the Spring, Twist of Fate, Battle Taxi and Marty. Meanwhile UA, according to William C. Heineman, v-p in charge of distribution, will release four features this September. The first, Suddenly, starring Frank Sinatra in his first film since From Here to Eternity and co-starring Sterling Hayden, leads off. It also has James Gleason and young Kim Charney. Next comes Khyber Patrol, in color, starring Richard Egan, Dawn Addams and Patric Knowles, followed by The Golden Mistress, Technicolor thriller with John Agar and Rosemarie Bowe. Last is Jesse James’ Women, fast-moving Technicolor Western with Peggie Castle, Jack Beutel, Don Barry and Lita Baron. To Reissue ‘Yellow Ribbon’ RKO will reissue in September John Ford’s Technicolor outdoor drama, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, starring John Wayne, which originally did top business. WESTREX “PENTHOUSE” REPRODUCER Call it a ‘penthouse’, ‘sandwich’ or ‘button-on’ reproducer, the Westrex is the simplest and cheapest way to get stereophonic sound reproduction from a complete print. It can be used with any modern projector or soundhead. It is small and does not interfere with operation of projection equipment. Westrex is film-pulled and requires no special lubrication or maintenance. Write or ask for complete details. DOMINION SOUND EQUIPMENTS LIMITED HEAD OFFICE: AOAO St. Catherine Street West, Montreal. BRANCHES AT: Halifax, Saint John, Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, London, North Bay, Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver. DS-54-22 VE are living through a period of transition in our business. Many will probably not recognize the new form taking shape but evidence of change is apparent in many places. CinemaScope and wide screen are only part of the new picture. Many other things are happening. We used to think of production and distribution in terms of the Big Five and the Little Three, in addition to which there were several smaller independent companies. One can no longer appraise the situation in these terms. There are todayat least ten national producer-distributor organizations and it is possible there will be more. It is difficult to assess the relative importance of these companies but, certainly, the terms “Big Five” and “Little Three” have disappeared from our business. Today, any national distributing company is important to our business, not only because of the number of pictures which it distributes but because it is liable at any time to come up with a top click. When such a company does so, it demands, and usually gets, the same top terms as other companies. Divorcement of theatres from producers-distributors in the United States had had an important effect on the economics of our business. The producer-distributor-exhibitor companies were previously satisfied to make the bulk of their profits in exhibition. Today, being restricted to production and distribution only, they must chart their profit course accordingly. As a consequence, they are not so concerned if exhibition does or does not make money and it would appear that some have the idea that the profit-making potentialities of the exhibition segment of the business should be kept at the very minimum. There is a great deal of talk that only the so-called “big pictures” can get patrons into theatres. This is not literally true unless one thinks only in ‘terms of the very large theatres which need to garner terrific grosses in order to meet high basic overhead operating cost. There are, and will continue to be, plenty of smaller theatres which can exist and continue to make profits on less costly pictures which cater to a certain segment of movie patrons, provided they can buy these films on the right terms. The cost of producing potential “big boxoffice pictures” is greater than ever and therefore it means a greater gamble on the part of the producers. This is one of the reasons that they seem determined that the potential returns should (Continued on Page 7)