The Film Daily (1947)

Tffii 'ffU DAiLY Wednesday, November 13, 19| Argentine Ad-Pix Co. Entering U. S. Field Just as American film companies are renewing their efforts to blanket the Latin American market, an Argentine film company, Emelco Corp., with New York offices at 535 Fifth Ave., has reversed the proverbial tables — but with a new twist. The set-up as outlined to The Film Daily, Friday, by Frank L. Mayne, who holds exclusive American distribution rights to Emelco product, is this: Since Emelco has exclusive rights to show advertising and documentary films in 530 Argentine theaters, the company is negotiating with leading American advertisers and ad agencies to make and distribute ad-films for the Latin American market. First-Runs Show Ad Pix Mayne asserted that all Argentina's first-runs are under exclusive contract to show Emelco trailers. Also tied up are leading houses in Chile and Uruguay, he said, adding Brazil is next on the list. Last year Emelco-produced filmads were shown to more than 35 million movie fans in Buenos Aires alone. Mayne said that Emelco not only guarantees at least two ad showings in each theater daily, but that its Argentine coverage is about 97 per cent. Types of ad-trailers offered by Emelco are one, two and three minute movie trailers as well as 25word announcements synced to •'Emelco Sound Slides." A special projector was invented to handle six color slides ;o that they are properly matched with sales talks, run off from acetate platter. That the slidead department was successful was proved, Mayne pointed out, by the 250 records pressed each week. Each record carries six non-competitive ' ads. j Emelco also makes documentaries, ] a la MOT, and something called "newsreel notes" for "indirect adver1 tising." \ Distributes Newsreel Emelco produces and distributes its own Latin American newsreel called, "Sucesos de Las Americas." Six cameramen equipped with Eyemos concentrate on Argentina, Chile, j Uruguay and Brazil. From time to time, the other neighboring nations are covered. Mayne was proud of Emelco's growth from an infant organization in 1936 when the company only had three employes and four customers to the present, with 165 employes and riore than 5,000 customers. The company was stai'ted when Curt G. Lowe and his brother Frederico found Germany rather uncomfortable under the Hitler regime. Curt is prexy, the brother veepee of the outfit. Other veepees are Walther Bur^wardt and Alfredo Schroeder. Telling About Tele \A/GN, a Mutual outlet, has been issued a construction permit and will begin imme~ " diateiy on transmitter facilities for its new tele station. Call letters have not yet been decided upon, but the station expects to be in the programming field by next Spring when delivery of ordered equipment is expected. ... • Visi-Quiz, the Sears, Roebuck & Co. sponsored show, has proved so successful on WPTZ in Philly. that a Tri-City relay to WNBT and WRGB, N. Y., and Schnectady stations has been inaugurated It is the first commercial tele program to originate in Philadelphia and be relayed on an interstate network. ... • Johnson & Johnson's debut as tele sponsor took place yesterday over WBKB, Chicago. ... • Committees representing advertising agencies and manufacturers have gone all out to co-operate with the campaign initiated recently by the Electric Association to insure the Windy City a top spot in television. To stimulate interest in a local video exposition tentatively scheduled for March or April, a forum will be held Dec. 10 to acquaint Chicago account executives with the potentialities of video as an advertising medium, and later a similar session will be held for advertisers. ... • Well known in the field of FM and tele. Dr. W. R. G. Baker of Syracuse. N. Y., vice-president of G. E. in charge of electronics, has been elected president of the Institute of Radio Engineers. ... • As a feature of a recent two-day series of dealer meetings sponsored by Raymond Rosen & Co., RCA tele distributors in Philadelphia, 250 dealers from that region were taken on a tour of the tele receiver producticn lines of the RCA Victor plant there. ... • Announcing plans to distribute more than 10,000 tele sets during the remaining two months of 1946, RCA Victor is using newspapers exclusively for the initial portion of its tele receiver advertising campaign. When a larger area of the country is covered by this medium, national advertising may be employed. • A STRIKING demonstration of what television can do In the way of presenting fantasy '* was Station WNBT's brilliant pre-Armistice Day production of "The Last War" Program was a telecast of a one-act play by Britain's Nel Grant, dating back to 1934 Play's theme is that human beings have destroyed themselves and the animals have taken over to rule the world All but one character in the cast are animals WNBT created special designs for masks and costumes, executed in luminescent wire, permitting the faces of actors to be seen thru Fay Marlowe, Philip Tonge, William Post, Jr., Kendall Clark and Walter Coy were in the cast lined up by NBC. • WALDORF-ASTORIA has installed a Telicon intra-vrdeo system on its roof. Reported, too, that the new city projects such as Stuyvesant, Peter Cooper and Clinton will also be equipped with these antennas Understand the same company is now drawing up plans and negotiating to provide a tele outlet system similar to Muzak which would be fed to hotels, nightclubs, etc. ... • The Hotel New Yorker is featuring television in several of its ballrooms and parlors. ... • Paul Mowrey and the rest ,of ABC's tele dept. have prepared a course being given by Ithaca College, Ithaca, N. Y., to train pupils in television. Mowrey has also arranged with executives of other broadcasting companies to participate in the instruction. ... • Ernest Walling, executive producer for WPTZ, has been promoted to program manager of that station. Considerable experience as tele and theatrical director will aid him in his new post. . . . • St. Louis University, operator of WEW, has received authorization for an experimental color station and will start on the first unit, to cost $50,000 any day. • STATING that one of the most serious obstacles impeding the introduction of commercial television has been the problem of satisfactory reception, Solomon Sagall, president of the Telicon Corp., predicts a potential $350,000,000 market for "ghostfree" television antenna installations. Their "Intra-Video" system has solved that problem, he claims. ... • Utility men, expecting eventual load increases, are joining with others in promoting television. Detroit Edison Co. and Commonwealth Edison Co., of Chicago, are two such examples. ... • Set designs by Bob Wade, NBC tele art director, will be exhibited in the Woodmere Art Gallery, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, when the fine arts museum holds its annual theater arts exhibition in December. It is believed to be the first time video backgrounds have been exhibited among theatrical designs of contemporary artists. ... • W. W. Watts, v. -p. in charge of the RCA Engineering Products Dept., has announced the formation of a large engineering group, to work with the Teleran research group in developing the revolutionary new air navigation system which combines television with radar. Shoot Final 'Triumph' Sequences In New York Ingrid Bergman will have to shuttle between stage and movie set when final sequences on Enterprise's "Arch of Triumph" are filmed in New York, beginning Nov. 19, the day after the Swedish star opens on Broadway in Maxwell Anderson's "Joan of Lorraine." Planing East on Friday for "Triumph" and the opening are Charles Boyer, Producer David Lewis and Director Lewis Milestone. Pcdestine Feature Will Hit B'way in December First full-length film initiated in Palestine with all native cast will preem at a Broadway theater in mid-December. "The Great Betrayal," produced by Idea Films and presented by Screencraft Pictures, depicts the co-operative effort of Arab and Jew in the re-building of Palestine. Julia and Sy Singer wrote an original musical score for the film. William S. Gailmor is narrator. 560 Gi Pix Sliowing! Daily in Germany Frankfurt, Germany (By Air Me — There are approximately 560 :>. arate GI movie showings every c in the European Theater, and s dier audiences total approsi^'At* 86,000 daily, according toT^* ytn compiled by Theater Special "Se: ices. In a recent week, for examj m-ivie audiences were estimated 630,000 at a total of 3,900 perfoi ances. Approximately 45 per cent of i audience attended theaters showi 35 mm. pictures in the larger cit and military communities, while remainder of this tremendous ai ence was reached by 16 mm. she ings in scores of isolated units a smaller localities. Nebenzal's Five for UA Budgeted at $7,000,000 West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DA ' Hollywood — Under a general pansion plan of his organizati here, producer Seymour Neber; has allocated $7 million for his 19 production program, which enta making five pictures for Unit Artists release. First film to be .started is "HeaOnly Knows" to be handled by din tor Albert S. Rogell. Following tl will come "Atlantis," then the larg production of "Mayerling." Four on the list will be "The Tempes Nebenzal will complete his schedi with "Madame Butterfly," with t, Puccini music. Wallis Speaking Dec. 10 At Nobel Anniversary Producer Hal Wallis has been i vited to speak for the industry the forthcoming Sixth Nobel A' niversary Dinner, to be held at t! Hotel Astor, Dec. 10. Others skedded for the prograi whose theme is "Progress for Peace include Pearl S. Buck, 1938 Nob Prize Winner in Literature; Edwa R. Murrow, CBS veepee; Micha Straight, an editor of New Republi Norman Coi-win, top-notch rad scripter, and others distinguished home and foreign affairs. Warner Club to Hold Thanksgiving Dance The Warner Club will hold Thanksgiving Festival Dance in tl clubrooms at Warners home offi' on Friday night, Nov. 22. In add tion to dancing, refreshments, ai ■surprises, the members will 1 treated to a program of Broadws entertainment arranged by Han Mayer, the club's vice-president charge of entertainment.