Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1948)

4 Motion Picture Daily Friday, October 15, 1948 Mochrie Sees 'Joan' As Industry Boon Sierra Pictures' "Joan of Arc" will be an ambassador of prestige and goodwill for the industry, answering and silencing many of its critics, Robert Mochrie, RKO Radio sales manager, predicted here yesterday. Speaking at a .luncheon at the 21 Club which preceded a screening of the picture for trade press editors, Mochrie said the picture merits the support of the entire industry because in itself it is a substantial contribution to better public relations. Mochrie asserted the film would be among the industry's all-time topgrosses, not excepting "Gone With the Wind." He said the Victoria Theatre on Broadway, where the picture will open on Nov. 11, is being almost entirely rebuilt, with appropriate decorative motifs, to house "Joan of Arc." "It is a rare instance of a theatre being built around a picture," Mochrie said. Walter Wanger, producer of the $4,600,000 picture, told the gathering that when fiscal problems were encountered during its production he went to Alex Ardrey, of Bankers Trust Co., the largest investor, with $3,000,000 in the production, and suggested that $1,000,000 could be saved by making the picture in black and white. Ardrey rejected the idea and urged Wanger to go ahead with Technicolor. Not only that, but after seeing the picture Ardrey told Wanger Bankers Trust was so proud to be associated with it he wanted a "Joan of Arc" banner to display in the bank. He got it. Schlaifer Efforts Reviewed by 'Tide' Charles Schlaifer, advertising-publicity director of 20th Century-Fox, comes in for special recognition in the current issue of Tide. Citing the job he has done in putting the company's "advertising machinery to work for the local exhibitor," the magazine points out that since promoted to his present post three years ago, he has concentrated on "building and cementing solid relations between 20th Century and 14,000 exhibitors who ultimately decide what pictures will show in what theatres." The article observes that "Schlaifer's nurturing of 'grassroots' should mean more and more at the box-office." Methods used by Schlaifer in gearing the company's "entire exploitation machine for maximum effect" are reviewed. Films' ECA Bids {Continued jrom page 1) occupied Germany. Wayne C. Taylor, special assistant to ECA administrator Paul Hoffman, today repeated the promise. He explained that the MPEA guarantee has been picked as the "guinea pig" for all information media contracts, and that work on the contract has accordingly proceeded with care. Future guarantees will move more quickly, he declared. Taylor indicated that 19 information media guarantees, covering the total $10,000,000 allotted by Congress for this work through April 1, are in various stages of progress. He refused to say how much of this is for films, but other ECA officials revealed the rough estimate of "close to $1,000,000." The rest will go to newspaper, magazine, and book publishers. Rank, KRS {Continued jrom page 1) tend its terms to 150 pounds, has reminded Rank that he is a member of that organization and must abide by its rules. In his new pact with the CEA, which still is subject to formal ratification, Rank pledged to make an attempt to persuade the KRS to lift the small exhibitor terms to the 150pound level. Exhibitors will persist in their efforts to achieve that adjustment with KRS generally. Rank s new sliding scale formula evoked bitter criticism but KRS members concede that he has the right to negotiate on his own terms with his customers so long as they are within the pattern of the KRS general terms. Typical of the critical comment was this by a leading American distributor : "CEA has cleverly engaged in a game of tactics. Between themselves they agreed that if they extracted terms from Rank the remainder of distributors would follow. Unfortunately, Rank fell for it. He probably felt that he could not refuse it. He obviously wants to be on good terms with his customers. My opinion is that he would be better advised to take notice of the groups of which he is a member and engage in proper discussions with them." Rank's move to appease indignant exhibitors is seen as clearly utilizing the latter to exact similar terms with American distributors here and consequently the American feeling towards Rank has grown to bitter resentment. It is understood that Rank's rival British producers, notably Sir Alexander Korda, propose to raise the whole question before the British Film Producers Association. Smith on Conciliation ( Continued jrom page 1 ) referred to "Red Kann's recent article in Motion Picture Daily" to illustrate his points. He concluded by demanding that "the compulsory percentage situation be eliminated completely." Asserting that greater cooperation in the industry would "increase box office receipts," Leon J. Bamberger, RKO Radio sales promotion manager, commented upon the interest taken in "second rate" pictures and insisted that they were every bit as good as the big attractions, but that they lacked the exploitation. Proper exploitation of these films, he added, would make their cost prohibitive. Trueman Rembusch, president of Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana, in discussing television, maintained that how it operates and the costs involved make it too expensive and offers too many problems at this time to risk its use in theatres. Also among the speakers was Dave Palfreyman, director of the Motion Picture Association of America's theatre service department, who discussed the role of public relations and the theatre. K MTA Board {Continued jrom page 1) meeting today. Personnel of the committee has not been selected. Frank Plumlee, one of the new directors, announced his resignation because he is leaving the territory. Plumlee is joining Tom Edwards as a partner in the Edwards-Harris circuit, having resigned as district manager of Theatre Enterprises after an association of 13 years. French, Italian Ads Swamp US in Brazil French, Italian and other films are capturing playing time normally going to American films in Brazil and other South American countries because distributors of such films advertise them extensively in newspapers and trade papers whereas American distributors have been retrenching. So finds N?+ Liebeskind, exhibitor and distribi^, just back from six months in ArgiJ^ tina and Brazil. Booking combines are springing up in those countries, he also states. "American distributors, however, are encouraging their rise, but the practice still can be nipped in the bud if the industry attacks the problem intelligently," he declares. Liebeskind believes the American industry is in a position to defeat the Brazilian Control Commission now seeking to fix film rentals and admsision prices provided forceful action is taken. "Theatre prices in Brazil, where the cost of living is higher than in the United States, are the cheapest in Latin America. Nevertheless, the Control Commission is committing itself to a peak of 40 per cent on rentals and a ticket high of about 30 cents, first-run, depending upon the theatre and its physical equipment. The powers of the commission are so broad that, under foreseeable circumstances, it can drive first-run admissions to as low as 10 cents. "American film continues in greatest demand in that market, which is the reason why the situation no doubt can be corrected if the industry here takes proper action," he added. While in South America, Liebeskind launched "Symphonie Pastorale," which he has purchased for Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Woodham-SmithHere On 'Routine9 Visit G. I. Woodham-Smith, board member and chief counsel for the worldwide J. Arthur Rank interests, arrived here yesterday on the SS Queen Mary "on a routine visit to look into legal matters." While here he will confer with Robert S. Benjamin, president of the American Rank Organization. He will remain until about Nov. 6. Other arrivals on the same ship were Robert Lury, Universal-International representative in the Far East and Elsa Maxwell, newspaper columnist, who declared that "U. S. pictures did not get a fair trial in the Venice Film Festival." She urged that U. S. producers have their own festivals abroad. Italian Picture To Aid Runyon Fund Proceeds of the Oct. 20 premiere of Lux Productions' "Tragic Hunt," which_ received an award at the International Film Exposition in Venice, will be donated to the Damon Runyon Memorial Fund by Films International of America, distributor, and the Ambassador Theatre. Rank Bid on UA {Continued jrom page 1) be considering plans for a large dollar pool for secondary financing of independents releasing through UA. Efforts to obtain confirmation of these reports were unsuccessful. more than 3,000 major U.S. theatres use "Voice of the Theatre SPEAKER SYSTEMS Only the best in sound is a sound investment today. 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