The Film Daily (1948)

Blocked Coin for U.S. Production in 6 Lands (Continued from Page 1) phasized, also would welcome an opportunity to participate financially in such American production activity within their boundaries. Trade observers last night were quick to note that the Mayer report to the MPAA president referred to "countries" rather than to interests or individuals in them, and drew the inference — not denied by an association spokesman — that as employed by Mayer, countries was synonymous with governments. The Mayer report, incidentally, was construed in New York industry circles as the first ray of optimism to break through the financial clouds hanging low on the international scene. Predicting that the U. S. industry may become definitely interested in production abroad, Mayer observed: "Wherever close scrutiny discloses production costs on location are not too high, it would be advantageous for American film producers to consider taking crews abroad." Aside from economic factors, Mayer pointed out, international understanding would be aided by production activities abroad. "I have found," he said, "that the American film industry was quick to realize it had to gear post-war production to changed conditions in countries that had experienced the war. There is gratifying evidence that this is being done." Millions of dollars are already blocked in the six countries and, under the recent Australian dollar cut and the one-year agreements just negotiated with Norway and Sweden, further film monies will accrue. It is estimated that France alone holds nearly $10,000,000 in frozen American coin. Several American companies during the past year produced films in France in association with domestic companies, and have plans to again do so this year. American participation in Australian production thus far has been restricted to Columbia. The latter company and several indies, including Edward Small, are interested in Italian production. David O. Selznick this week announced -plans to make one picture in Norway and Sweden, and reports have been current that other American companies were weighing a similar move. a ._) end (J-> irt hd a Wednesday, January 14, 194] i£ Vo—\ J* Jan. 14 J.J William Bendix Bebe Daniels ?.* Hal Roach Edward P. Curtis Louella 0. Parsons From The Hollywood Mail Bag 9 9 9 ROY DEL RUTH is heading what looks like is going to be a parade of pictures backgrounded in popular sports with his "The Babe Ruth Story." and admits to friends that he is having quite a time finding exactly the right player for the role of the Bambino He had hopes for awhile that Pat Flaherty, baseballer-turned-actor, was what the doctor ordered for the role, but no definite decision has been reached as yet. Meanwhile, Del Ruth has signed Flaherty to act as technical director for the Bambino biography, and in addition Pat will enact one of the baseball figures in the horsehide epic Flaherty used to pitch darned good baseball with the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators and the New York Giants, until, for better or for worse, he took to acting. His stint in Del Ruth's "The Babe Ruth Story" will be his 202nd movie role Whether or not Flaherty plays the Babe role, at least he'll certainly be able to give plenty of pointers on those little personal mannerisms that characterize the Bambino. The Sultan of Swat and Flaherty have been pals for 25 years Del Ruth has closed a deal to use some ol RKO-Pa!he's Eastern stage space in conjunction with the filming in the East of sequences at Yankee Stadium, Cooperstown, upstate and Baltimore, to be shot by a second unit headed by Ross Lederman Del Ruth himself will handle the megaphone on the first unit for this indie production for Allied Artists release. 7 7 7 • • • WORD COMES FROM HONOLULU that Harry Sherman, "enjoying" his first real vacation in years, is already getting tired of doing nothing and is champing at the bit to get back in the production harness "Tired of doing nothing," he says! Within 24 hours after he hit Hawaii, Sherman had reached an accord with Conrad Houston, Australian financier and film figure, under the terms of which Sherman will produce an outdoor epic in the Land of the Kangaroo and the Wallaby Penciled in for the producer's chore Down Under is "The Valley of Fire," which is an original written by Graham Baker and Teddi Sherman and has all the galloping and leather-stretching that Sherman loves, plus an Australian background Under the deal agreed on with Houston, who is also a Hawaii visitor at the moment, Sherman will round up a couple of top Hollywood stars and the rest of the cast will be English and Aussie players. Release will be through an American major When the producer heads back for the States soon he'll have one of the important roles cast for "Tennessee's Partner," his next Sherman Production for Enterprise. He has signed Doris Schrafft, Honolulu deb and Little Theater actress, for the part. • 9 © METRO'S TOP BRASS apparently were very gratified with George Sidney's megging of "Cass Timberlane" because they've handed him one of the directorial plums of the year with his assignment to "The Three Musketeers," Pandro Berman Production It'll be in Technicolor and will have a cast topped by Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, Van Heflin, June Allyson and Sidney Greenstreet Lana worked with Sidney in "Cass Timberlane," her most dramatic role, and she is enthusiastic about her role in "The Three Musketeers" as Lady de Winter In the course of the story she bumps off two men and June Allyson, thus making the role one of the most lethal screen characters of the year Sidney reports that actors still love costumes. Almost every player he knows wants to get in the act! "No one," the director says, "can resist the idea of acting while carrying around yards of velvet, long wigs, swords, rhinestones and plumes. Show an actor a black velvet hat with a long red plume and he's a goner!" Bidding Disruptive, CSE Tells High Court (Continued from Page 1) Court's denial of its motion inte; vene in the Paramount ca° V"*1 Oral argument on this moilon wr be heard next month, along with th arguments on the Paramount cas itself. Claiming that the opposition t competitive bidding is practical! unanimous among independent? CSE told the court it feels that othe relief granted by the New Yori court "will terminate the restraint found to be unlawful." The competitive bidding requirement as laid down by the court is "pregnant with litigation" and certain to throw the entire distributor-exhibitor relationship into chaos, the court was told. Among the dangerous questions are such things as the determination of a "competitive area," with a possibility that settling of this question in some cases might "result in the elimination of all clearances, despite the fact that reasonable clearance is necessary for the successful operation of a theater and was so found by the court in the June, 1946, opinion." "Complicated," "confused," anc! "impractical" are words used to del scribe the bidding system offered bjj the lower court. With the CSE in-, sisting that "the obvious result wil be that the producer can pick at wil', the offer he wants to accept withoulj fear that a disgruntled exhibitor car successfully seek court relief on theil ground that his offer should have been accepted, because there are toe many variables for even a court tcr formulate and apply a workable], yardstick for the purpose of making [ such a determination." CSE protested also against the de^Tj struction of established distributor-; " exhibitor relationships, the advan-yfl! tage large affiliated theaters will have over smaller independents in competitive bidding and against the increased rentals it is certain will .: result. Competitive bidding, the brief | declares, "is simply a court pro I tected license to the producer to exact the highest possible price for his features from ex j hibitors." STORKS i Abe Miller, RKO insurance department, and his wife Mildred are'-> the parents of a daughter, Elizabeth Joy, born at the French Hospital. Minneapolis — Arthur Zuelch, L M-G-M office manager, has ° ™<*™™ baby son. Hi le Minneapolis — A baby girl was born to the wife of Dean Lutz, r United Artists salesman.