The Exhibitor (1952)

EXHIBITOR 1.1 This Was The Week When . . . Paramount distribution executives met with studio heads on the road to discuss production plans and analysis, with films including “Son Of Paleface”, “Carrie”, “Just For You”, “Somebody Loves Me”, “Hurricane Smith”, and “The Turning Point.” . . . Cecil B. DeMille started a quartet of appearances in Chicago, Ames, la., Des Moines, and New York City, making major addresses. . . . The first European preview of RKO’s “Clash By Night” was held in Paris at a special meet¬ ing of European sales managers of the company. . . . Paramount held its six-day, 745-mile junket, with Edmond O’Brien, Dean Jagger, Laura Elliott, and Zazu Pitts on hand, starting in Denver, for “Denver and Rio Grande.” . . . 20th-Fox flew a party of press folk and others to Port Au-Prince, Haiti, for the world premiere of “Lydia Bailey.” . . . Paramount an¬ nounced that it was searching for some¬ one to play the title role in “Hudini”, the requisite being that the player have some knowledge of magic tricks. . . . Dougfair Corporation announced that Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., will handle the narrating assignment on the representation of “The Iron Mask.” “High Noon”, UA release, had its world premiere at the Odeon -Leicester Square, London. . . . RKO star Janis Carter started a swing of 30 key cities in con¬ junction with “The Half-Breed.” . . . MGM set a series of five regional sales meetings during May, starting with San Francisco from May 5-7; Cincinnati, May 12-14; Washington, May 15-17; Chicago, May 19-22, and New York, May 26-28, with top home office execs and branch managers and salesmen on hand. 20th-Fox revealed that it expects a quarter of a million people in Hutchin¬ son, Kans., whose normal population is 35,000, for the world premiere of “Wait ’Til The Sun Shines Nellie”, with gala hoop-la and Jean Peters, Helene Stan¬ ley, Hugh Marlowe, George Jessel, and Henry King on hand, in addition to civic and state dignitaries, for the threetheatre bow. . . . UA set the world pre¬ miere of “Red Planet Mai's” at the Niles, Bakersfield, Cal., on May 14. . . . “The Fighter”, UA release, was announced as having its first showing at the Stanton, Philadelphia, on May 29, with Richard Conte on hand. . . . UA’s “Strange World” was scheduled for a world bow at the Blue Mouse, Seattle, on May 15. . . . U-I held the world premiere of “Red Ball Express” at the Orpheum, San Francisco, with Jeff Chandler, Charles Drake, Jud¬ ith Braun, Cindy Garner, and Jack Kelly in person. . . . MGM revealed that the royal premiere of “Ivanhoe1” would be held on June 12 at the Empire, Leicester Square, London, all proceeds to aid the National Playing Fields Association. . . . Monogram executives held a two-day conference at the coast studios, with four pictures being screened, “Wagons West”, DeMille Corporation Decides To Dissolve HOLLYWOOD— Cecil B. DeMille last week issued the following state¬ ment: “The boaid of dii-ectors of Cecil B. DeMille’s Productions, Inc., found that taking into consideration increased production costs, the tremendous burden of increased taxation, including corporate income taxes, excess profits taxes, franchise taxes, and various other forms of taxation, left no oppor¬ tunity for the retention of sufficient capital to bring about the accomplish¬ ment for which the company was originally organized. “Under the circumstances, the shareholders have decided to dissolve. “As to my future plans, I have no intention of divorcing myself from a business to which I have devoted more than 50 years of my life.” Canadian "Pioneer" Due Toronto — A “Pioneer of the Year” is to be named each year by the Canadian Picture Pioneers, it was announced last week. The plan was approved at the meeting of the Canadian Picture Pioneers’ national executive committee here. Each branch will submit the names of those nominated in its district to the national directors, who will sit as a selection committee. The first choice under the plan will be announced at the annual meeting, to be held here on May 28, and he will be honored at an affair in the early fall. O. R. Hanson, president, will act as chair¬ man of the selections committee. French Negotiations This Month New York — Eric A. Johnston, MPAA head, was advised last fortnight by the U. S. Department of State that, acting for the American film industry, it will negotiate a new Franco -American film accord with the French government this month. The current accord expires on June 30. Johnston and John G. McCarthy, vice-president in charge of international affairs, are in Cannes for the French International Film Festival at Cannes. “The Rose Bowl Story”, “Afi'ican Treas¬ ure”, and “Here Come The Marines.” . . . Monogram suggested to open-aii'ers that they hold their own drive-in week from May 24-30, during the period of the first annual “National Drive-In Week” sales drive, with special mats, posters, etc. Canadian (Continued from page 10) retaiy-treasurer, Motion Picture Theatres of Ontario, succeeding Lou Rosefield, re¬ signed. Rosefield sold his Westdale, Ham¬ ilton. John Lavoie, who first started a theatre in St. Donat, then in l’Assomption, then in St. Raymond, and who has been calling them all the Alouette, has been operat¬ ing the Alouette, St. Michel des Saints, for a little more than a year now, and he is so happy with it that he has gone into another town. The other day he pur¬ chased from the Perkins Electric Com¬ pany, Limited, a laminated structure building, complete projection and sound equipment and theatre seats, which are going to be put in operation in St. Zenon. St. Zenon is about 10 miles south of St. Michel des Saints in the county of Berthier. Alterations started on the Stayner, On¬ tario, Town Hall to convert it into a the¬ atre. . . . Eleanore Dunn, art dii'ector, Associated Screen News, sails on May 9 for a three-month tour of Europe. . . . Ray¬ mond W. McDonald has been named Brit¬ ish Columbia censor of moving pictures by Attorney Genei'al Gordon S. Wismer. He fills the post made vacant by the recent death of J. B. Hughes. . . . Arnold Entwistle succeeded Vem Skorey as head, Motion Picture Pioneers in Alberta. . . . The Canadian delegation to the Variety Clubs International convention, Las Vegas, Nev., had an escort of a 30-piece Girls’ Kiltie Band from Fort William. The tartaned gals hauled their pipes by bus to about 80 miles from Las Vegas, where they joined the barkers on the special train from the east. ... A one-time direc¬ tor of films in Hungary, Leslie Cserepy, has been found by a newspaper in Tor¬ onto to be working as a caretaker in a school not far from the city. The Ontario Board of Censors were asked to censor a Hungarian film, and, since the film had no subtitles, it called in a local Hun¬ garian minister. He pointed out to them that the director of the film was working as a caretaker. Cserepy was responsible for a documentary shoxi on St. Stephen which won a prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1938. — Harry Allen, Jr. deRochemont Makes Deal New York — Louis deRochemont was signed last fortnight by Lutheran Church Productions, Inc., to produce a featurelength film based on the life of Martin Luther, it was announced by Dr. Paul C. Empie, executive dii'ector. WEU WHO*? WILBUR HILL? SEE PAGE 15 May 7, 1952