The Independent Film Journal (1954)

New Appointments Edgar Goth has been appointed director of advertising and publicity for the Stanley Warner Theatres in New Jersey. Before joining the organization in 1953, Goth was advertising head of Fabian Theatres. He suc¬ ceeds Robert R. Deitch who has resigned, effective Feb. 14, to Join Frank J. Demis and his associates in the Eastern Drive-In Corporation. Ben Abner was named Warner Bros, metropolitan district manager and Ralph Iannuzzi was upped to eastern district man¬ ager in a series of promotions at the com¬ pany. Abner had been serving as New York branch manager, while Iannuzzi headed the Boston office. Ernest Sands leaves his Cleveland branch managership to head the New York office, while William Twig trans¬ fers from Pittsburgh to Cleveland. Jack Kalmenson was assigned the Pittsburgh post. Frank Reimer got the post of Mil¬ waukee branch manager, while William Ivumins was promoted from assistant branch manager in Boston to head that exchange. George Regan has become manager of the 20th-Fox’s Omaha exchange. Regan, former¬ ly a salesman in the company’s Kansas City exchange, succeeds Joe Scott, who recently passed away. Jack Engerman and Zollie Volchok of Northwest Releasing Corp., who have been handling Seattle and Portland exchanges for Hallmark, have also been awarded Salt Lake City and Denver zones. They have appointed Tom Bailey to represent Northwest in these two areas. Jack Thomas, San Francisco and Los Angeles Hallmark distributor, has been awarded Kansas City and St. Louis ex¬ changes also. Thomas has employed Pat Patterson, vet roadshow film man, to head up the San Francisco distribution for him and has named Claud Morris, former M-G-M and Selznic-k publicist, to handle Kansas City and St. Louis supervision. Allan S. Moritz, for 20 years Columbia branch man¬ ager in Cincinnati, is the new authorized franchise distributor of Hallmark pictures in the Cincinnati area. Card Mondor has been transferred from Memphis zone to Cleveland to handle “Karamoja” and ‘‘HalfWay To Hell’’ distribution exclusively in northern Ohio. Dick Edge, Hallmark publi¬ cist, has been transferred from St. Louis area to Ohio. Joaquin D. Rickard was named special consultant to the MPAA. Rickard served as the Association’s Latin American represen¬ tative until early 1953. He was then on in¬ definite leave. In his new consultant capacity the Association will be able to call upon him for advice and assistance as circumstances necessitate. Maria van Slyke, director of national magazine publicity at Paramount for the last five and a half years, joins Rogers & Cowan, publicity firm, as head of motion picture division. Don Mack, vice-president of Filmack Studios and Chicago television sales director for the past eight years, appointed head of TV sales department of firm’s expanded New York City branch. Lou Kravitz, newlyappointed vice-president in charge of sales, now heads Chicago TV department sales, assisted by Jim McGahan, formerly with Ruthrauff & Ryan. • • • Jack Case, formerly manager of the New Fox Theatre, Hollywood, was promoted to the advertising-publicity department of the Fox West Coast Theatres. Harry K. McWilliams assumed his new duties as assistant advertising, publicity and exploitation director for Magna Theatre Corp., distributors of the forthcoming “Okla¬ homa,” filmed in Todd-AO. In the entertain¬ ment field since 1930, McWilliams has been associated with Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems. Irving Shiffman was appointed sales representative of I.F.E. covering the Wash¬ ington, D. C. and Philadelphia territories. He was formerly a member of IFE’s Boston office, and replaces Arthur Levy, resigned. Berry Greenberg moves up this month from Far Eastern sales representative of Warner International to the post of field division manager, with headquarters in Syd¬ ney, Australia. Jack Dagal, Warner gen¬ eral manager for Japan, will at the same time also assume full supervision of the company’s offices in Formosa, Hong Kong and Indo-China. Stan Margulies has become publicity di¬ rector for Bryna Productions, Kirk Dou¬ glas’ new indie outfit. JVB Quarterly Profit Rises To $1,203,000 Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. and subsidiary companies reported this week that for the three months ending Nov. 27, 1954 a net profit of $1,203,000, after a provision of $1,300,000 for Federal taxes and $175,000 for contingent liabilities, has been earned. The net profit for the three months ending Nov. 28, 1953 was $765,000, after $825,000 for taxes and $75,000 for contingent liabilities. Profit for the 1954 three months is equiva¬ lent to 48 cents per share on 2,474,300 com¬ mon outstanding; profit for the correspond¬ ing 1953 period was equivalent to 30 cents per share on the 2,474,363 common stock then outstanding. Film rentals, sales, etc., after eliminating inter-companv transactions, for the 1954 three amounted to $18,414,000 as compared with $15,825,000 for the corresponding 1953 period. Sweden Meet Slated The second meeting of the International Standardization Organization’s Technical Committee 36 on cinematography will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, from June 11 to 16 to enable experts from various countries to discuss questions of international motion picture standardization. Present plans are for the meeting to deal with dimensions of motion picture film, definition, etc. Greenthal Reps Circus The Monroe Greenthal Co. has been ap¬ pointed advertising agency for Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus, which starts its annual nation-wide tour at Madison Square Garden March 30. Pine-Thomas In 3-Film UA Deal A maximum of three top-budget pictures will be produced for United Artists release this year by independent producers William H. Pine and William C. Thomas, announced Arthur Krim, U-A executive. The first two films will be “Lincoln McKeever,” the novel by Eleazar Lipsky which is a best-selling Literary Guild selection, and “Mountains Have No Shadows,” based on the novel by Owen Cameron. This new deal with U-A ends the 14-year association of Pine-Thom¬ as with Paramount. It has also been reported that actor Van Johnson and producerwriter Norman Krasna have formed an independent film com¬ pany to produce a minimum of four pic¬ tures for U-A release. The arrangement is said to leave the performer free to make committments with other studios for work. The first pictm’e expected to be made is “The Ambassador’s Daughter,” with John¬ son starring in the Krasna screenplay. In addition, the studio is reported to be negotiating with other performers to enter into production deals whereby the stars will become financial participants in addition to guaranteeing their choice of story, director and producer for their films. Recently, U-A annuocned that Kirk Doug¬ las had formed his own independent film company, Bryna Productions, to produce six pictures for U-A release. First two films from Bryna will be “Viking Raiders,” di¬ rected by Richard Fleischer, and “Van Gogh,” directed by Jean Negulesco. Douglas’ association with U-A goes back to one of his earliest films, “Champion,” which brought stardom to the actor. 'Oscar” Nominations Set For Video Debut Via 90-Minute Show Hollywood. — -The first Academy of Mo¬ tion Picture Arts and Sciences Nominations ever to go on television, scheduled for Feb. 12, will consist of a multiple live-camera view of Hollywood’s own “election night,” in an original format completely unlike the traditional Awards ceremony slated for Mar. 30. The Nominations program will be carried on the entire NBC television and radio net¬ works coast-to-coast from 6-7 :30 p.m. (PST). Jack Webb will be master of cere¬ monies and past Award-winning film stars will act as hosts and hostesses. Plans call for establishment of a communi¬ cations center at NBC’s Burbank studios, where announcement of the nominations will be made on camera in the presence of a large press contingent, simultaneous with camera pickups of parties of stars and press at the Cocoanut Grove, Ciro’s and Romanoff’s. Live camera pickups at all four settings will focus on the actual nominees and their wholly spontaneous emotional reactions at the instant they learn they have beeh tabbed as finalists. The four-location production will necessitate one of the most elaborate television hookups ever attempted, surpass¬ ing in complexity the network coverage of such other notable special events as the national political conventions. 8 THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— February 5. 1955