The Film Daily (1948)

., Vednesday, September 22, 1948 INEI •^ DAILY 15 ^etro Will Expand Ipedal Training (Continued from Page 1) iivision who indicated ability to jz'ogress would be brought to New '■ York for the specialized training Arhi,'H includes confabs with 58 exec •] itJ _^J and complete indoctrination 'witu company principles and policy. "We are going through a transi;ion period in this industry," Rodgers declared. "This is the ideal time for ;his type of training." The Metro topper pointed out that in addition to the obvious benefits accruing to the company and the individual men ^^;oncerned, the industry's public relations would be improved by the ^information these men would carry ^sinto the field. J' Company personnel currently here for the training include Michael J. Ford (Chicago), Philip F. Gravitz (New Haven), H. Russell Gaus (Los JsAngeles), Louis Marks (Cleveland), ^'Ansley B. Padgett (Atlanta), and 'nLouis J. Weber (Dallas). Theater Release Planned For Some PFC Productions ■ IVest Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY '" Hollywood — Theatrical release of •suitable Protestant Film Commission ■films will be arranged, Paul F. Heard, executive producer, an^nounced. Initial theatrical release is "to be "Prejudice," for which scoring 'has been completed. UFC has a schedule of 25 films, mostly of fea'ture length, with all in various ^stages of preparation. Heard said. Next PFC picture will be a feature dealing with the workings of Democracy from the standpoint of ;the individual, with production by Edward Nassour, tentatively scheduled to start Nov. 15. Another pro'duction unit is in Japan filming a feature, "Toru," PFC's annual subject tieing in with foreign missions 'and other church activities. PFC's financing program is now being worked out with the assistance ,of a number of persons and organiizations prominent in the motion picJture industry, Heard stated. Kicking About Taxes? Jap Rate Is 150%! Tokyo (By Cable)— Maybe it's the difference between the victor and the vanquished^anyhow, the Japanese moviegoer has to fork over in addition to the price of admission a government tax of 150 per cent. Which may account for the fact the average Jap sees only about seven pix per year. Ten years ago there was no federal tax, and the box office price was 50 sen (half a yen). Today the box office calls for 50 times as much money — 25 yen, of which 15 is the tax. Overall receipts are only about 20 times as high, however — which means only about 40 per cent the former attendance. WHO'S WHO IN HOLLYWOOD COL LESSER. Motion picture producer. Born in Spokane, Wash., Feb. 17, 1890. ^ Lived in San Francisco from infancy until 1921, when he moved to Los Angeles, where he still resides. Established the Golden Gate Film Exchange and the All Star Feature Distributors in San Francisco at age of 17. In 1916 he became interested in theater operation, and in association with others organized West Coast Theaters, Inc. During the next 10 years Lesser divided his time between active management of the theater chain VK/ MA and production of Jackie Coogan and other films. Some \ ^ Coogan hits were "Peck's Bad Boy," "Oliver Twist," "My Boy," "Trouble," "Daddy" and "Circus Days." In 1926, Lesser sold West Coast Theaters to the Fox Company, and traveled in Europe for a year. Upon his return he organized the Principal Theaters Corporation of America, and shortly thereafter returned to motion picture production, in which he has been actively engaged ever since. Among them was the Academy Award winner "Our Town," Ernst Lubitsch's "That Uncertain Feeling," "The Tuttles of Tahiti," "Three Is a Family," and "Stage Door Canteen." He also has produced during recent years one "Tarzan" saga annually. Stands 5, TVz. Weighs 155. Eyes, blue. Hair, grey. RCA Has Projector For TV Color Film Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — RCA has just about completed work on a new projector designed to pave the way for televising of any color film in 16 mm. with sound, R. D. Kell of the RCA laboratories told the FCC yesterday. The difficulty had been previously that the projector used for TV had been geared to run at 30 frames per second, while most film is geared to 24 frames per second. Kell told the Commission also of rapid progress in eliminating noises accompanying the televising of 16 mm. color film, and that RCA now has in the laboratory "a new direct pick-up camera in which a single camera tube is used. In this camera there will be no registration problem and as a result the operation of the camera will be simplified." Three tubes are used in the present camera. Progress in reducing the width of the band required for color video was also reported, with indications that it may be possible to set up "a threecolor channel system plus the associated sound channel in a total channel width of substantially less than three times six megacycles, of the order of 12 to 14 megacycles." It was learned yesterday that Dr. Peter Goldmark, CBS color TV expert, will also testify to success in reducing the necessary width of color TV. His 1946 estimates of 20 mc. have been reduced to about 12 mc. Stanwyck in "Gambling Lady" West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Barbara Stanwyck has been signed by U-I for the lead role in "Gambling Lady." Pic will be produced by Michael Kraike, directed by Michael Gordon. CEA Branches Meet Today London (By Cable) — Countrywide meetings of CEA branches are scheduled today to consider appeals against the rejection of quota relief applications. lATSE Challenging Newsreels' Pooling (Continued from Page 1) in New York, and by lensers locals in Chicago and Los Angeles. As a result, both President Truman and Governor Dewey are traveling on the current campaign swings without any newsreel cameramen in their press-pix following. What shooting is being done is by the staff men in the various cities near which the two candidates appear. Originally, it had been expected that a single crew would travel with each candidate and that his footage would be made available to all five reels. This was acceptable to the cameramen so far as President Truman was concerned, even though they were not happy about it. They were told, they say, that both candidates had requested that only a single crew go along because of difficulty of accommodating more men. Nonetheless, protests went, for the record, to both Truman and Dewey, registering the union's objection to a policy of having a single crew "do the work of five." Both the White House and Dewey's press attaches replied they would be delighted to have five crews go along. But the reels replied that they cannot afford to send out separate crews. Result was that the union refused to let single crews go out with the two candidates. Perth MPEA Names Goode Perth (By Air Mail) — Western Australian branch of MPEA has appointed R. B. Goode as its official paid secretary. He also is secretary of the Public Relations Bureau and the City Theaters Council. Cyril Norton was re-elected president, and J. R. Johnston, vice-president. Dreeben Joins Sack Dallas — Irving Dreeben, formerly with WB and Nu-Art, has been named special 16 mm. sales rep. for Sack Amusement Enterprises, headquartering in New York. Metro Will Urge More TV Stations (Continued from Page 1) the maximum number permitted any single corporation. If possible, Loew's would like to build stations in New York, Boston, Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles. Company's present position is primarily due to a decision made by key executives some time ago that large scale investment in the new medium would be premature and the subsequent adoption of a "wait and see" policy. Potential of television is no longer in doubt, however, and with the pattern of the motion picture industry's role in video becoming clearer each day, M-G-M is now readying a belated entrance into the field. Reciprocal Radio-Theater Plugs in Compton Plan A one-minute trailer on the "Truth or Consequences" radio show will be offered to theaters in December On a reciprocal plug arrangement under which local radio stations would trade mentions of theaters for screen time in behalf of the radio attraction. Film, including excerpts from the radio show, will be made as part of a new promotion technique developed by Compton Advertising, Inc. Its principal use will be to plug the radio show via television stations. Film is being produced by Marshall Grant Pictures in Hollywood, with Joseph Field, Compton's assistant publicity director, as writer and production supervisor. Another Compton show, "Welcome Stranger," already has been filmed in Chicago, with distribution slated for next month. Last Feyder Pic Set "Back Streets of Paris," last film produced by the late Jacques Feyder, will open Oct. 15 at the Avenue Theater. Pic, to be released here by Films International, is in the same genre as the producer's "Carnival in Flanders," "Portrait of a Woman." Francoise Rosay stars. Pery Names Dole to Col. Post Sydney (By Air Mail)— Nick Pery, Columbia's Australian chief, named Tom Dole as director of advertisingpublicity, succeeding Joe Joel. Chicago Suhsequents Mull Vaudeville Hypo Chicago — A number of subsequent run houses in the territory are considering stage shows to hypo theater attendance, it is learned. Stratford Theater, on the Southside, is using five acts of vaudeville Friday through Sunday, and James Booth says he plans vaudeville at Booth-Libliner's Palace Theater in Cicero. Other nabes are expected to follow.