Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1950)

Motion Picture Daily Monday, May 29, jjl Personal Mention NATE BLUMBERG, UniversalInternational president, is on the Coast from New York. • M. L. Simons, assistant to H. M. Richey, M-G-M exhibitor relations head, is due here on Friday from the West Coast. • A. J. O'Keefe, Universal-International "assistant general sales manager, has returned to New York from St. Louis. • Andy W. Smith, Jr., 20th CenturyFox sales vice-president, is due here from the Coast. • I. G. Goldsmith, British producer, and his wife, Vera Caspary, writer, will arrive here today from London. • Michael Curtiz, Warner director, has returned to Hollywood from here. • Jules Levey, independent producer, left here Friday for the Coast. Bert Friedlob, producer, will arrive here today from Hollywood. Metropolitan Houses Collect for Palsy New York Metropolitan area theatres are making an outstanding contribution to the current United Cerebral Palsy Associations' campaign to provide facilities for treatment of more than 500,000 CP victims throughout the country, according to Robert Weitman, vice-president of United Paramount Theatres and New York chairman of the campaign. He points out lobby collections are being conducted in the several hundred member theatres of the Metropolitan Motion Picture Theatres Association, which includes Loew's, RKO, Century, Randforce and other circuits, in the 63 Metropolitan theatres of the Skouras circuit, and in 34 Broadway theatres. Also, over 100 houses in the Brandt circuit are making audience collections. Tradewise . By SHERWIN KANE Scully, O'Keefe Will Address '"73" Dinner W. A. Scully, Universal-International distribution vice-president ; A. J. O'Keefe, assistant general sales manager ; John M. Olin, president of Olin Industries ; several civic leaders ; actress Shelley Winters and actor Millard Mitchell will be among the speakers at the dinner for the press which the film company will hold June 1 at the Taft Hotel in New Haven, as one of several events in conjunction with the press premiere there of U-I's "Winchester '73." Sign Kerz for Art Post Leo Kerz has been signed as art director for the Arthur Loew production of "Teresa" and will supervise shooting the New York scenes when the cast and crew return here from location in Italy late next month. THERE is plenty of evidence on all sides nowadays of a changed business outlook in every key sector of the industry. The philosophy of gloom, rampant a few months ago, is giving way rapidly to a new and healthy optimism and to concrete and impressive demonstrations of complete confidence in the future. Over-emphasis of the importance of television competition has been, perhaps, the greatest mistake made by the industry in its days of trial. Too many accepted the symptom as the cause. Too many believed the stories television has spun about itself, that endeavored to make it not merely an addition to the entertainment world, but the whole world itself. The industry knows now, without in any way belittling the impact of television competition, that confused thinking in the industry gave too much credence to the propaganda of the new entertainment form. In so doing, the job of strengthening our own defenses against the new competition was delayed. We afforded it openings, by permitting our own weaknesses to continue without repair, which made the legends spun about television appear, even among ourselves, to be true. • Business analyses in both the distribution and exhibition ends of the business reveal now that the industry has its soft spots, in comparable measure, irrespective of the presence of television competition. That demonstrates that the ailment was internal. We need not have looked so far afield for the causes and the remedies. It demonstrates that we are at last on the right track — strengthening and improving the product and methods of selling and presenting it to the public. As we have said, there are evidences of that on all sides, and the result of it is new confidence, new determination and new purpose on those levels of the industry which feed its thinking and its feeling and translate them into action. The results should not be long delayed. They can be perceived a-stirring even now. • The most spectacular mass demonstration of the new spirit and the new thinking was, of course, the 20th Century-Fox showmanship crusade. Carried out on a national level, it penetrated to the smallest theatre operations and to minor employes therein. Its message was work harder and work better, and we will give you better product to work with. From it swelled countless individual efforts, each translating the message into action. Numerous other examples of the new thinking — and positive action— have been coming in a steady stream from unrelated sources. Altogether they spell a healthy future for motion pictures. To mention but a few of them, you can start with MGM's "Say It With Pictures" campaign, backed up by increased production and huge budgets. There is H. J. Yates' announcement of one of the most ambitious production programs in Republic's history, and his reminder and reprimand that "The only people who have lost confidence in Hollywood is Hollywood itself." There have been the sound, analytical reports to stockholders of Paramount Pictures and United Paramount Theatres, doing much to dissipate with counteringfacts the investing public's impression that television has made motion pictures a hasbeen for all time to come. There is the magnificent manual for better business turned out by National Theatres, so complete and down-to-earth that, if its directions were followed faithfully, it would make a successful showman of a newly arrived immigrant from Bechuanaland. There are the elaborate, showmanly merchandising campaigns, ranking with the best of all time, successfully conceived and executed for "Samson ad Delilah," '"Francis," "Cinderella," "Colt .45," "Cheaper by the Dozen," "Annie Get Your Gun," "The Good Humor Man," "Sunset Boulevard" and many more. The beefing is done. The problems of the day are being solved by action. • • Nothing Ever Changes Dep't: The Allied States board, meeting in Memphis last week, found time to discuss charity drives, which it declines to participate in, but passed over industry arbitration, which could be the answer to many basic industry problems. Newsreel Parade rHE film industry honoring istan Minister Liaquat, the sion Play in Germany, and the Ch rodeo are current newsreel highli Other items include sports and pi in the news. Complete contents tow: MOVIETONE NEWS, No. 43-TJ. S breaker visits Eskimos. F. D. R.'s g son married. Horace Heidt entertains of Berlin airlift. Chimps at St. i~ icecapades of 19S0. Judo learned IE;) Highboard diving. NEWS OF THE DAY, No. 2177lights of Canada's flood. Navy icebreal Eskimo> village. Germany: Passion Pin sumes. Honor Pakistan Minister Li; People: the Duke and Duchess. Eliz Taylor and Conrad Hilton. Motor rodeo, hill climbing. PARAMOUNT NEWS, No. 80in Chile. Film industry honors Pal Minister. Passion Play performed ag.' Oberammergau. People: F.D.R.'s gra weds, Conrad Hilton, Jr., and Eliz Taylor. Auto racing. TELE NEWS DIGEST, No. Zl-B Amboy: blast aftermath. Japan's Pr Taka weds. F.D.R.'s grandson weds, wegian freighter on fire. Jap student nounce U. S. Red airmen desert. Si Jake Lamotta and Rocky G'raziano UNIVERSAL NEWS, No. 355— Pr of Pakistan in Hollywood. Air carniv Birmingham, Ala. Germany: Passion St. Louis zoo. Rodeo in Chile. Auto Germany. Motorcycling uphill. WARNER PATHE NEWS, No. 9Z~ istan Premier Liaquat honored. Icebt visits Alaska. Papers of Thomas Jefl compiled. St. Louis zoo. Ride through | Canyon, Idaho. Germany: Passion Motorcycling uphill. 'Bright Leaf Sta Face Busy Prograi A parade, beauty contest, radii pearances, press interviews and 1 ception are on a busy agenda fo| Coast contingent of stars, headt ' Patricia Neal, Donald Crisp and J;j Brown, which will be in Raleigh, 1; I on W ednesday for the world prei of Warner's "Bright Leaf" at; Ambassador Theatre there. Gov. W. Kerr Scott, who wi host to the stars at an afternoon! and has invited the governors of J ginia and South Carolina to join ji in a peace-pipe-smoking ceremonjl special tobacco auction will be hel ■ the benefit of the cerebral palsy cj Progress Medal to Jcfo Rochester, N. Y., May 28.-41 "outstanding contributions to p I graphic science and practice,", pi Loyd A. Jones, head of Kodakffl search laboratories' physics doitJ merit, has been awarded the M Progress Medal of the PhotogrJB Society of America. The medaHB be presented to Dr. Jones at th< 1 ciety's annual convention in Ocffl when he will give the Society's Jta gress Medal address. Mono.-Lippert Lunchm Chicago, May 28.— Monograiyttti Lippert Productions will jointly pu sor a luncheon on June 27 a m Drake Hotel at which I. E. ChadH president of the Independent M Picture Producers Association conduct a discussion before loca downstate exhibitors on the pro; ttj of independent producers in t<)yS market. MOTION PICTURE DAILY. Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Terry Ramsaye, Consulting Editor. Published daily, except Sati jiyt Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: 'Quig|W. New York" Martin Quigley, President; Red Kann, Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer ; Leo J. Brady, Seci fh James P Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager. Hollywood Bureau, YuccaVine Building, William R. VI TO Editor 'Chicago Bureau 225 North Michigan Avenue, Editorial and Advertising; Harry Toler, Advertising Representative; Jimmy Ascher, Editorial Representative. Wash «W 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, Lo |» Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald; Better Theatres and Theatre Sales, each published 13 times a year as a Motion Picture Almanac; Fame. Entered as second class matter, Sept. 23, 1938, at the post office at New York, N. Y., under year, $6 in the Americas and $12 foreign; single copies, 10c. section of Motion Picture Herald; Intern IMS the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rallPH