Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1950)

2 Motion Picture daily Wednesday, March 1, 195(i NonFormula Films Can Win 'Lost Audiences': Kramer Personal Mention BEN GOETZ, head of M-G-M's British production, left here yesterday for the Coast. • William B. Zoellner, M-G-M short subject "and reprint sales manager, will be in Washington next week from New York, before touring the South and Southwest. • Edward L. Hyman, Selig J. _Seligman and Simon B. Siegel, United Paramount Theatres executives, arrived in Los Angeles yesterday from Phoenix. • Jack Kingsley, of the Warner home office publicity department, and Mrs. Kingsley became the parents of twin boys, born Saturday at Holy Name Hospital here. • Charles Levy and Leo Samuels of Walt Disney Productions have returned here from Chicago. • Sam Galanty, Columbia Mid-East division manager, left Washington yesterday for Pittsburgh. • Howard Hurty, M-G-M publicity representative, is in San Francisco from Hollywood. RKO Promotes One And Transfers Four Following the promotion of Harold Heller to city manager of RKO Grand Rapids' theatres, four managers of RKO Brooklyn theatres were shifted to new posts in the Brooklyn area. Edward McGlone becomes manager of the RKO Dyker ; C. Edward Force moves to RKO's Bushwick ; Joseph Goldberg to the Shore Road, and Myron Feltheimer to the RKO Orpheum. MGM Cancels Texas Film Hartford, Feb. 28. — M-G-M has cancelled a proposed picture, "Yankee in Texas," which would deal with the removal of the Chance Vought Aircraft Plant from Stratford to Dallas. Announcement resulted in a protest from Francis S. Murphy, chairman of the Connecticut State Development Commission, on the grounds that depicting the loss of an industrial plant would put the state in a bad light. MPAA Asks 'Thief Cuts Cuts in Vittorio De Sica's "The Bicycle Thief," Italian production, have been demanded by the Motion Picture Association of America before the film can be given a certificate of approval, according to Mayer-Burstyn, U. S. distributor. De Sica has refused to allow cuts, it was said. Mrs. Theresa Reed, 71 Washington, Feb. 28.— Mrs. Theresa A. Reed, 71, mother-in-law of Arthur De Titta, assignment editor of 20th Century-Fox Movietone News, died Monday in this city. Funeral services will be held here at Sacred Heart Church tomorrow at 9 A.M. Confident that independent production will surmount the numerous financial and other obstacles confronting it, Stanley Kramer said yesterday the unaffiliated producer has a "contribution" to make to the industry and his continued existence is vital if films still are to be regarded as an "art form." Kramer told a luncheon-meeting with the trade press at the Stork Club here that he champions the cause of "breaking the pattern" in screen material on the belief that unconventional fare, if good, will have as one of its results the return of the so-called lost audience. Recognizing that the approach is not infallible, he said a few successes will justify an occasional miss-out. Kramer's first production, "So This Is New York," admittedly came within the latter category. But he followed this with "Champion" and "Home of Selznick-Korda Tilt To Patterson Today Federal Judge Irving Kaufman yesterday reserved decision in U. S. District Court here on David O. Selznick's application for a temporary injunction to halt Sir Alexander Korda from licensing the Eastern Hemisphere version of Korda's "Gone to Earth." The jurist recommended at the same time that the dispute over the film be arbitrated along with the one introduced by Korda over distribution of his "The Third Man" in the Western Hemisphere. Initial arbitration proceeding in the Selznick-Korda disagreement is scheduled for today at the office here of former Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson, whom Judge Kaufman appointed arbitrator. Yesterday Louis Frohlich of the New York law firm of Schwartz and Frohlich, contended that the legal move by Selznick was a violation of the arbitration agreement. Additionally, Frohlich maintained, distribution rights that have been in dispute between the parties pertained to the Western Hemisphere, not the Eastern. Reisman Drive to Start at Weekend RKO Radio's foreign department will conduct the 1950 "Phil Reisman Drive" from March 5 to June 3, named for the company's foreign sales vice-president. Heading the drive committee is Bob Hawkinson. Jack Kennedy is captain, and committee members are Bev Lion, Ned Clarke, Don Prince, Harry Ehrreich, Arthur Herskovitz, Mel Danheiser and Al Stern. In Filmack TV Post Chicago, Feb. 28. — Louis Livingston, formerly a newspaper promoter, has been appointed to head Filmack's television department. the Brave," both of which were successful, particularly in view of their limited budgets. His newest is "The Men," budgeted under $600,000 and set for release by United Artists in August. The theme centers around paraplegic war veterans. He plans production of "Cyrano de Bergerac," rights to which he acquired from Sir Alexander Korda with frozen sterling, at Motion Picture Center, Hollywood, on July 1. This will be followed by one as yet untitled and which will wind up his five-picture commitment with UA. Among others at the luncheonmeeting yesterday were George Glass, vice-president of Stanley Kramer Productions ; George J. Schaefer, Kramer's sales chief ; Howard Le Sieur, UA director of advertising-publicity ; Al Tamarin, UA publicity head, and Francis Winikus, advertising manager. UK Board Forces Showing of Film London, Feb. 28. — A Board of Trade "selection committee" has approved for exhibition Filippo del Giudice's "Change of a Lifetime," reportedly a picture with good-natured leftish propaganda, which had not secured circuit booking or a distribution deal after five months of negotiations. Under the Quota Act, the Board of Trade now may compel one of the three major circuits to give the picture a first-feature booking, whether they like it or not. It is likely that D. J. Goodlatte of Associated British Cinemas and John Davis of the Rank Organization will draw lots to see which one plays the picture. O'Donnell to Attend Dinner for Ullman Albany, N. Y„ Feb. 28.— Robert J. O'Donnell, chief barker of Variety International, will make his first visit to Albany to attend the dinner of Tent No. 9, given Friday night at the DeWitt Clinton Hotel for Saul J. Ullman, retiring chief barker. Si Fabian, Ted Gamble, A. W. Schwalberg, Ted O'Shea, John O'Connor, Irving Wormser, Nat Levy, Nate Nathanson, Bernard Kranze and Leon J. Bamberger are among those making reservations to attend. Granada Circuit Nets $680,000 for 1949 London, Feb. 28. — The Granada Circuit reports a trading profit of £227,617 ($680,000) for the year ended Sept. 30, 1949, compared with a profit of £201,667 for the previous year. The 48-theatre circuit is headed by Sidney L. Bernstein who, in his annual report, strongly condemns the 38 per cent entertainment tax, adding, however, that the tax cannot "be blamed for all the industry's ills." JVewsreel Parade rHB British elections are a high-, light in all current newsreels. Other items include military maneuvers by the U. S. and Camda,, sports, carnivals and the weather. Complete contents follow : MOVIETONE NEWS, No. British elections. U. S. pilgrims in Li£ Jt^Canadian simulated warfare. j^aval in Rio. Racing at Santa Anita. Bascb'all: umpire school. Marineland story. NEWS OF THE DAY, No. 252— Election in Britain. U. S. and Canada join in Arctic maneuvers. Carnival in Rio. Underwater census. School for umpires. Big upset in turf classic. PARAMOUNT NEWS, No. 55 — Florida turf thriller. Denver: Stack explosion. British Labor government faces days of crisis. Wrestling: Jerry Lewis and chimpanzee. U. S. -Canadian Arctic maneuvers. TELENEWS DIGEST, No. 9-A— British elections. Coal crisis. Poland: Spy trial in 1 Warsaw. Danish ship towed into Copen \ hagen Harbor. Scale model of new world capital shown by U. N. New York: Icy ringers of Jack Frost. Ice in Berlin streets. UNIVERSAL NEWS, No. 330-U. S. and Canada join in winter maneuvers. British election. Press photographers awards. Carnival in Brazil. School for baseball umpires. Social notes at Marineland. WARNER PATHE NEWS, No. 57World news: British election. "The Hasty Heart" wins press award. U. S. -Canadian military maneuvers. Hula school in Hawaii. Florida: porpoises. Sports: school for baseball umpires; Santa Anita Handicap; Widener Handicap. Johnston Hits Back At Cousins' Charges An editorial in the Saturday Review by Norman Cousins, who charged that American films sent abroad presented a distorted view of American life is answered by Eric A. Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, in the same publication, dated March 4. Johnston charges that Cousins' indictment of U. S. films was a blanket one with authority for his charges unidentified and with specific pictures unnamed. Veterans Praise SAG For Entertainment Commendation of the Screen Actors Guild's efforts to provide entertainment for hospitalized veterans was voiced in a resolution passed by the national planning committee of the American Veterans Committee at a recent Washington meeting. Four Legislatures Adjourn ; No Damage Washington, Feb. 28.— Special sessions of four state legislatures have adjourned without damage to the film industry, according to Motion Picture Association of America legislative representative Jack Bryson. The states were Georgia, Idaho, Texas and Wyoming. In Georgia, a censorship bill died in committee, while nothing threatened in the other three states. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Terry Ramsaye, Consulting Editor. Published daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, President; Red Kann, Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Leo J. Brady, Secretary; James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager. Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building, William R. Weaver, Editor. Chicago Bureau, 225 North Michigan Avenue, Editorial and Advertising; Harry Toler, Advertising Representative; Jimmy Ascher, Editorial Representative. Washington, J. A. Otten, National Press Club, Washington, D. C. London Bureau, 4 Golden Sq., London Wl : Hope Burnup, Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor; cable address, "Quigpubco, London." Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald; Better Theatres and Theatre Sales, each published 13 times a year as a section of Motion Picture Herald; International Motion Picture Almanac; Fame. Entered as second class matter, Sept. 23, 1938, at the post office at New York, N. 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