The Independent Film Journal (1953)

DISTRI-BITS Crown Heads Romulus Effective Feb. 1, Alfred W. Crown, who resigned this week as head of the RKO Pic¬ tures foreign department, assumes the presi¬ dency of Moulin Productions, Inc., inde¬ pendent filmaking corporation and financing group headed up by David Stillman and Elliott Hyman. Crown Heads Moulin Decca Records, Inc., is offering 145,842 shares of its authorized but unissued capital stock in exchange for outstanding common stock of Universal Pictures Co., Inc., in the ratio of two shares of Decca for each of Uni¬ versal. Exchange offer was mailed to Universal stockholders last week. Exchange period will expire Feb. 8, and no tenders accepted after Jan. 27 unless some of the Decca stock is still available, the com¬ pany announces. News of the exchange notice resulted in unsubstantiated reports that a merger of the two companies will be pro! posed at the Universal stockholders meeting in March. "Money" 4/so In 2-D Paramount’s “Money From Home,” Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis starrer scheduled to start its 3-D release in key cities on Feb. 3, will also be made available for 2-D showings on March 4, it was announced this week by A. W. Schwalberg, president of Paramount Film Distributing 'Corp. The Plall Wallis production is the first Technicolor film for the comedy team. "Sadie" In Both Versions Columbia’s “Miss Sadie Thompson,” Tech¬ nicolor Rita Hayworth starrer, is now being released in both 2-D and 3-D versions, ac¬ cording to A. Montagaie, vice-president and general sales manager. Decision to release the film “flat” as well as in 3-D resulted from two factors : exhibitor requests and controlled tests which showed the film did almost as well in 2-D as in 3-D in experimental runs in Richmond, Va., and Sacramento, Calif., Montague explained. Smith Leaves Metro Pete Smith, creator of many comedy short I subjects, will resign his M-G-M post in April, according to a company report. Originally I studio publicity director, Smith originated his short subject program in 1931. Before he leaves his post, he will have completed ten subjects for release in the 1954 season and Isix more for 1955. He stated that his plans for “some subsequent months involve only rest, relaxation and recreation.” M-G-M Flacks Alerted j Entire promotion staff at M-G-M has been alerted by Howard Dietz, ad-pub-exploi vicepresident for a senes of special items to pub¬ licize the company’s 35th Anniversary Jubi¬ lee, Theatres and branch offices throughout the country are being drawn into the cam¬ paign, which runs during the first four months of 1954. Special efforts will be made to get newspaper, radio, television and other media publicity, the company stated. THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— January 23. Technicolor, Polaroid Cement Plans For Vectograpli One-Strip 3-D Films Loew’s Nets $4,380,603 For "53; Quarterly Profit Advanced To $l,i33,893 Loew’s Inc., has reported that the first 12 weeks ended Nov. 26, of its current fiscal year showed a net profit, subject to year-end audit, of $1,133,893, after all charges and taxes. This figure, equivalent to 22 cents per share on 5,142,615 shares of common stock, compares with a net of $332,206, or six cents per share announced for the corresponding period of the previous year. Gross sales and operating revenues for the 12-week period were reported as $43,009,887, compared with $38,075,000 for the same pe¬ riod of one year ago. Figures were disclosed in a financial statement mailed to stockhold¬ ers with the annual report for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 1953. The annual report reveals a net profit for the year of $4,380,603 after all charges and taxes. This sum, equivalent to 85 cents per share of common stock, is slightly less than the $4,692,806, or 91 cents per share, an¬ nounced for the previous year. Operating revenues for the year were $177,558,874, as compared with $178,525,615 for the year be¬ fore. At the close of the fiscal year, the com¬ pany showed cash of $23,763,992, as com¬ pared with $18,716,324 a year earlier. In¬ ventories totalled $79,728,467, as against $86,492,467 the year before, the company an¬ nounced. Included in the report was a statement that the company has scheduled for release during the current fiscal year approximately 30 M-G-M pictures, 24 of which will be in color. Most of these productions have been completed, it added. Report also disclosed that branch sales offices and theatre opera¬ tions in foreign countries are being further expanded. Poli-New England Theatres, Inc., a circuit comprising 15 houses, has become wholly owned by Loew’s as a result of the recent purchase of the remaining 25 percent minor¬ ity stock interest, the report stated. t \ Balabcm Choirs State Crusade For Freedom Barney Balaban, president of Paramount Pictures Corp., has been named New York state chairman for the Crusade for Freedom. Balaban, a founder and vice-chairman of the American Herit¬ age Foundation, will direct the campaign for moral and finan¬ cial support of Radio Free Europe’s truthcasts to Kremlin-en¬ slaved people behind the Iron Curtain. The highlight of the cam¬ paign will be Freedom Week which will open on Lincoln’s birthday, February 12, and close on Washington’s birthday, February 22. V _ 1 _ J 1954 Three dimensional color motion pictures on a single strip of film requiring only one projector with no attachments whatever may soon be expected from the combination of the Technicolor dye transfer printing process and the new Vectograpli base film of the Polaroid Corporation, according to Dr. Her¬ bert T. Kalmus, Technicolor president and general manager, and Dr. Edwin H. Land, Polaroid president. They announced that agreements were entered into this week be¬ tween their two companies which they expect will make this possible. In these agreements, Technicolor is li¬ censed under Polaroid patents to make full color stereoscopic motion picture prints on Vectograpli material. Technicolor will em¬ ploy these Polaroid inventions in an at¬ tempt to make these new stereoscopic color motion picture prints available to the thea¬ tres as soon as possible, the officials stated. If this new application of the Polaroid invention by Technicolor proves successful, executives of both companies believe that the Vectograph should provide a fresh impetus to the production of 3-D pictures by making them more comfortable to view and by making it easy for all exhibitors to show them. Up to now, 3-D pictures have not only been photographed on two strips of film but have been projected from two strips of film. With Vectograph release prints, all exhibi¬ tors will be able to show 3-D pictures without making anv change in their 2-D booth equip¬ ment, according to the report. Two Cameras Used In taking the pictures, two cameras will be used as at present, but the picture will reach the exhibitor as a single film. Patrons will be required to wear polaroizing glasses, it was learned. Aside from the continued use of aluminized screens, the exhibitor will not need such special equipment requirements as interlocks, polarizing projection filter, and oversize magazines. Since both of the images required for 3-D are superimposed over each other on the same film base, the exhibitor is said to be assured of perfect synchronization. Unlike other single film proposals in color, the Vectograph film allegedy uses the entire film area, instead of only one half of each frame, for each of the two images required for 3-D. Pictures are expected to be corresponding¬ ly brighter and sharper in definition, open¬ ing up the possibility of wide screen 3-D, according to the announcement. When the new film is made commercially available by Technicolor, it is expected to ex¬ tend the distribution of 3-D pictures to more neighborhood theatres. The agreements be¬ tween Technicolor and Polaroid call for the manufacture of release prints by Technicolor and the manufacture and sale of raw stock by Polaroid, the report disclosed. AMPA Book Lunch Set First luncheon meeting of the new year for the Associated Motion Picture Advertis¬ ers will take place on Jan. 27 at the Hotel Picadilly, N.Y.C., the group announced this week. Meeting’s theme, “great books make great movies,” will concentrate on the co¬ operation between the film industry and book publishing business, according to Lige Brien, AMPA president. 9 BALABAN