Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1948)

Shart Subjects By BARN THE SLJMMIvR vSLUMP doesn't mean a ihin^ to UniversalInternationai's sales organization, headed by vice-president William A. Scully. DesignatinjT July as U-I World Premiere Month, Scully has set no less than four major debuts in various sections of the country, according the bows the works, including star ])ers()nal a])])earances and a fullfledged promotion cam]«ign for each. On the first, "ManEater of Kumaon" had its simultaneous World Premiere at NY's Winter Garden and aboard a Pan-American Clipper flying over India; "Feudin*. Fussin' and A-Fightin' " gets its opening in a dual-city debut, Omaha and Des Moines, on the eighth ; "Tap Roots" bows in Philadelphia on July 14, and the Hnale will have "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" in Atlantic City on the 28th. The Liars Club of America, incidentally, meets in the convention at the World's Playground that week, and, 'tis rumored, will be a major factor in the prejarations for the preem. IN AN AD for the opening of "The Noose Hangs High" at Philly's first-run Aldine: "Extra! America's Startling Answer to Free Enterprise, 'Letter to a Rebel'." Oh, dear what will Mr. Thomas say! (N. B. "Letter to a Rebel" is the Johnston office-sponsored short plugging democracy and its greatest asset, free enterprise, copy above notwithstanding.) THE TELEVISION THREAT is goading independent producers into a if-you-can't-fiight-it-get-w'ith-it movement. Four indes have set up video production units in the last few weeks. Selznick chartered the Selznick Television Corp. in Delaware and named Milton A. Kramer as j)resident; Cecil B. Dc Mille is establishing a separate company to make films for television ; John Ford and Merian C. Cooper have formed Argosy Television, Inc. and plan a new technique using a combination of live actors and processed film and Roberts Productions, the Bob Roberts-John Garfield outfit, unveiled plans for the production of a series of halfhour subjects for use before the television cameras. ASSERTEDLY TO PROVIDE more effective liaison between United Artists' president Grad Sears and the company's sales, advertising and administration policies, Paul N. Lazarus, Jr., has been named to fill the newly-created post of Executive Assistant to the President. The 35-yearold Lazarus who leaves his post as Director of Advertising and Publicity for the company to assume his new augmented duties, thus reaches heights rarely attained for one of such tender years. Lazarus has been in the industry since 1933 when he joined Warners as an assistant in the press book department rising to a promotion directorship and thence on to the A-P post for UA. His successor in that post is expected to be named shortly. SPYROS P. SKOURAS AND J. EDGAR HOOVER costarred as hosts to Washington officialdom at the special preview of 20th-Fox' "The Street With No Name" at the vStatler Hotel last Wednesday (30th). Hoover's participation added indirect endorsement to the official approval of the FBI on the film, first drama on crime in the US so endorsed. UNCLE SAM'S POSTOFFICE DEPARTMENT is going to lend a hand in TOA's Youth Month Program this September. After conferring with Postmaster General Jesse M. Donaldson, TOA's executive director Gael Sullivan was informed by the cabinet member that his department has been authorizeed to issue a special commemorative stamp honoring the Youth of America. THE NEW BABY, NTFC — Nati(jnal Television Film Council — showed remarkable vigor in its first meeting since its birth on May 18. With Melvin L. Gold as temporary chairman, the youngster came up with a form of standard exhibition contract offering mutual protection to distributors, stations and agencies; a central information bureau ; and — brother, will this get actifjii — an efi'ort to provide "arbitration" facilities for the exliibition and distribution of films on television. Gold, ad-publicity director of National Screen and spark-plug of NTFC, was renamed temporary chairman until elections in September. A POTENT ARGUMENT against extensive production of films solely for children was advanced last week by the MPAA's National Children's Film Library Committee. "No small part of the movies' charm for children may rest on the fact that movies are not 'made for children' — that movies are a part of the grown-up world in which a child may share," the committee declared. A clincher was the "wiggle test", i.e., if the kid jury squirms or gets restless during the screening to pick suitable pictures, which showed that "wholesome films which are th(jroughly enjoyed by adults, arc equally popular with children." Representative films of this type include "Bambi", "Going My Way", "My Friend Flicka" and "Natif)nal Velvet", among others. OF MEN AND THINGS: The travelers were busy last week. U-I's Bill Scully, sales chieftain, and Maurice Bergman, Eastern ad-publicity director, shipped at midnight last W ednesday (30th) for England to huddle with JAR officials . . . Practically the entire 20th-Fox home office emigrated to Movietown last week for sales and promotion confabs with studio chiefs Joseph M. Schenck and Darryl Zanuck. The execs included prexy Spyros P. Skouras, sales head Andy W. Smith, ad-publicity topper Charles Schlaifer, W. C. Gehring, assistant to Smith, and MurraySilverstone, foreign president . . . And over at Columbia, execs Jack Cohn, A. Schneider and Leo Jaffe left Wednesday to be followed on Friday by A. Montague and Joseph McConville for the annual mid-summer studio conference . . . Astor's Bob Savini also had the West Coast as his destination for production conferences and lay groundwork for several deals . . . M-G-M's Bill Rodgers revealed four changes in the field of sales to take effect July 12th: William D. Gaddoni. Chi salesman, becomes manager of the Omaha exchange ; Gerald E. McGlynn succeeded D. C. Kennedy in the top sales post at the Des Moines branch; Vincent Flynn goes up to ass't branch manager at ]\Iilwaukee, and Harry Buxbaum in the same spot at the 'Frisco branch . . . Eagle Lion's William J. Heineman, v.p. in charge of distribution, announced "wdth deep regret" the resignation of Joseph Minsky as E-L's district sales head for the Philadelphia-PittsburghWashington areas to enter another field . . . Thomas D. Kirk steps out of Republic's Dallas branch as manager, with John J. Houlihan moving over from Cleveland to replace him, and Irwin Pollard going into Houlihan's old spot . . . Sack Amusement of Dallas opens a completely-staffed New Orleans branch on July 12, headed by Alton Dureau, formerly with 20th-Fox. 18 FILM BULLETIN