The Exhibitor (1953)

24 EXHIBITOR Konecoff (Continued from page 12) of the overall program. Sports pages will also get the full treatment. Incidentally, this release has nothing in common with the earlier Globetrotter picture released by Columbia, which Palca also wrote, and which did good busi¬ ness. Anton Leader, who produced “It Happens Every Thursday” and “Sally And St. Anne” for U-I, is executive producer on the film. Bill Steiner is director of photography. TRIBUTE NOTE: Over 200 top amuse¬ ment industry leaders attended a testi¬ monial luncheon for Si Fabian and Sam Rosen, Fabian Theatres and Stanley Warner Theatres, sponsored by United Jewish Appeal at the Hotel Plaza. Exactly $402,000 was pledged at the affair for the world -wide rescue, relief, and rehabilita¬ tion activities of the agency, compared to $357,000 last year. The 1953 quota is $700,000. The assemblage was addressed by Eric Johnston, MPA A prexy, who returned from a trip to Israel. He reported on his first-hand experiences in that country as well as paying tribue to the honored guests for “their deeds instead of words” on behalf of humanity. Dr. Joseph Schwartz, UJA, also spoke. Adolph Schimel, vice-president and general coun¬ sel, U-I, and chairman, amusements divi¬ sion drive, made the presentation of illuminated scrolls to Fabian and Rosen. PRODUCER SPEAKS: Allen D. Dowling recently arrived in town. In case you are wondering, he is a member of the famous Dowling family. He was bitten by the production bug recently, and went out and did something about it. He formed Dowling Productions, and the former pub UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY lisher and writer teamed up with Tom Gries and Hugh Brooke. Together, they turned out their first film, “Donovan’s Brain”, which stars Lew Ayres and fea¬ tures Gene Evans, Nancy Davis, and Steve Brodie. They plan future production at the rate of approximately two features per year. Some may be made on location overseas, depending on the subject matter. Dowling believes that the wide-screen will come into general use in the future, but will wait on definite plans until something concrete emerges. He doesn’t believe in 3-D with glasses, and thinks it just a novelty. Future product will await com¬ pletion before distribution is set. “Brain” was worked the same way, with discussions between himself and United Artists as well as others in process, and he thought that release of the feature will probably be in September. Ayres, who has a piece of the film, will cooperate on the distribution and playoff. A special book campaign is also in the works, with the novel by Curt Siodmak having sold three millions in 41 languages, and a new edition planned at lower prices. Incidentally, Dowling reported that the science-fiction film was shot on a “reasonable budget,” and he thought it might do much to bring Ayres back in public favor. Dowling’s next film will probably get under way in the summer, and is ex¬ pected to be released by the end of the year. Outside of telling us that it would be shot mostly on location, he classified it as secret. Dowling financed “Brain” all by himself, and intends operating simi¬ larly in the future, which is nice work if you can get it. THE METROPOLITAN SCENE: A new public relations organization made its bow headed by Ben Kaufman and Irving Shift rin, industry veterans, with headquarters at 1270 Avenue of the Americas. Kauf¬ man was in independent public relations as well as with Mutual Broadcasting, MGM, UA, and U-I, while Shiffrin has been with RKO and others in the field as well as promotion director for Willys of Hollywood, and executive director, Long Beach, L. I., Chamber of Commerce. . . . Joe Louis was off on a 27-city tour to help promote his film as well as for personal appearances. ... A special excerpt from a recent issue of Life on “Man On A Tightrope” is being sent out by the Inter¬ national Rescue Committee to invitees of the gala premiere at the Mayfair. . . . More than one million persons have seen “The Robe” paintings currently touring the department store circuit, and exhibi¬ tions will be continued through the end of the year. Incidentally, 50,000 copies of a handsome 16-page booklet containing re¬ productions of the eight paintings will be sold in the stores where the exhibition plays. . . . Okeh pressbooks are out on “Jamaica Run”, “War Of The Worlds”, and “The Lost Planet.” . . . RKO’s “Below The Sahara” got a four-column break on the front page of a recent issue of The Sunday Journal American. Publicist's Board Named Hollywood — The Studio Publicity Di¬ rectors Committee last week named an executive board consisting of Teet Carle, Paramount, chairman; Perry Lieber, RKO, retiring chairman, and Sam Israel, U-I. International (Continued from page 16) tising, Famous Players Canadian Corpora¬ tion. He succeeds Bert Brown, who has become general sales manager General Theatre Supply Company. Succeeding Baker as head of the Famous Players art department at head office in Toronto is Tom Chatfield. ... A tornado which swept through Michigan and Ontario completely wrecked Famous Players’ Imperial, Sarnia, of which Buzzy Blondell is manager. No one was in the house at the time except Roy Kent, who received a broken arm from falling debris. Famous’ other house in Samia, the Capitol, had its marquee and sign torn to shreds by the twister. . . . The Associated Screen News latest “Can¬ adian Cameo” short covers the Canadian district in London, Eng., then goes into a study of jazz, and finally to a Saskatche¬ wan college. . . . Cashiers in Toronto theatres are on the lookout for phoney quarters. . . . Former stage manager of the Metropolitan, Winnipeg, George Henry Parker, 69, died. He was with the the¬ atre 30 years. ... A special screening of “The Cruel Sea” was held during the Canadian Booksellers’ Convention in Tor¬ onto. . . . The Nova Scotia Labor Relations Board certified the IATSE as bargaining agents for 13 theatres in Nova Scotia. . . . Guy Bachand is new owner, New Premier, Sherbrooke, Que. Italy In Rome, the Minister of Foreign Trade decided to sign the Italo-American film agreement negotiated for the United States film industry by Eric A. Johnston, MPAA-MPEA president. The Italian gov¬ ernment has also reached a decision to accept the 40 per cent remittance pro¬ vision which was in the agreement as framed by Johnston and Dr. Eitel Monaco, head, ANICA. The government had balked at the 40 per cent figure, which repre¬ sented an increase of two and one-half per cent in the remittance rate. The in¬ crease will mean an estimated $350,000 in Italian remittables during the agreements’ year which starts on July 1. Skouras Setting CinemaScope In Europe _ NEW YORK — Spyros P. Skouras, president, 20th Century-Fox, left for Europe over the weekend by plane to finalize arrangements for demonstra¬ tions of CinemaScope on the continent planned in June. First stop on Skouras’ trip was Lon¬ don, where he conferred with Murray Silverstone, president, 20th CenturyFox’s International Corporation, and Earl I. Sponable, company research director, on setting of the Cinema¬ Scope theatre showing in the British capital. Skouras will also assemble heads of leading European theatre equipment manufacturing concerns to plan the production and swift installation of CinemaScope in theatres throughout the continent. Other cities expected to be visited by Skouras during his trip will be Paris, Frankfort, Zurich, and Rome for the mapping of CinemaScope show¬ ings in the respective cities. June 3, 1953