Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1950)

12 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, December 5, 1950 National PreSelling PARAMOUNT will distribute more r than 250,000 heralds to help put over its Western New York premiere of "Let's Dance." More than 50,000 were used in Buffalo, and these were distributed by Stattler's department store, largest in the area. This was a three-way tieup with a local dance studio. An additional 200,000 will be used in Hornell, Rochester and some 50 other Schine situations where "Let's Dance" has been booked. The company is also using 24-sheet stands and television spots. • Feature article in the Dec. 19 issue of Look, next on the stands, will be "In a Little Spanish Town with Ava Gardner," including five pages of location shots during the filming of "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman" in a Mediterranean fishing village and winding up with a full-page, full-color portrait of the star in somewhat more formal dress. The issue will_ include a review of "The Jackpot" tvith three pages of stills and carries a cooperative ad page for Warner's "Captain Floratio Hornblower" with the sponsorship of Jergens Lotion and a fullpage advertisement for "American Guerilla in the Philippines" from 20th Century-Fox. • A cooperative newspaper ad sponsored by Child's Restaurants publicized Betty Hutton and her new Paramount picture in the New York Daily News, Herald Tribune, New York Post and the Journal-American, with a total circulation of 4,200,000 readers. The 1,000-line ad, entirely paid for by Child's, ran the day before the picture opened at the Paramount here. In addition, the restaurant chain distributed 4,000 table cards and displayed lifesize blow-ups of Betty Hutton. • The December issue of Good Housekeeping, under the department heading, "Assignment in Hollywood," reviews "All About Eve," "Trio," "The West Point Story," "Breakthrough," "The Magnificent Yankee," and "For Heaven's Sake." The magazine carries "Picture of the Month" advertising from M-G-M, opposite the table of contents and a full-page from Warner on "The West Point Story." • Eagle Lion Classics' premiere of "Prehistoric Women" in Milwaukee has been followed with a fashion caravan, visiting such places as Pillsbury Mills, General Mills, etc., to demonstrate "Fashion Thru the Ages from Pre-historic Women to Today." In Milwaukee, a "Fashion Cavalcade" with 30 models was supported by newspaper coverage and radio appearances. Leon Brandt, director of advertising, publicity and exploitation, reports pre-selling on this subject. • Full color ad pages in the March issues of Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal and True Story will promote 20th Century-Fox's "The Scarlet Pen," with "plugs" for Linda Darnell in a Lux Flakes tieup. In addition, Woman's Day for April, March issues of This Week and the New York Sunday News, will also carry the copy which was set with Lux through the J. Walter Thompson agency. Strict Neutrality on U.S., Soviet Films Washington, Dec. 4. — India, which has been following a policy at the United Nations of fairly-strict neutrality between the Soviet Union and the United States, has carried the same attitude into motion pictures. The Indian government has laid down a policy that no Russian films will be shown that are anti-American and no American films that are antiRussian. Among U. S. films recently banned under this policy were "The Red Danube" and "The Conspirators." Exchange PactTIatks Continue Here Rack Up Another III. Anti-Trust Suit Chicago, Dec. 4.— The independent Eagle Theatre here has filed a $342,000 anti-trust suit against John Samadalis and John Manta, circuit owners ; the plaintiff's landlords, Balaban and Katz, and Paramount, Warner, Loew's, 20th-Fox, RKO, Columbia, Universal, and United Artists. The Eagle, leased on a yearly basis, claims it was deprived of suitable product since 1932, but asks damages for only the last 10 years. Inability to secure suitable product was the direct result of a conspiracy between the landlords and the majors, Morris C. Zimmerman, Eagle lessee, charges. Zimmerman's complaint says he was able to secure product only after its value had been exhausted by rival houses, the Milda and Ramova, both owned by his landlords, and that if he had entered the competitive market, his year-to-year lease would have been suspended. Negotiations are continuing here between IATSE representatives and a distributors committee in connection with the union's bid for new contracts to cover some 6,000 film exchange workers in 32 cities. The contracts expired on Dec. 1, but it is traditional practice in the "IA" that if a contract terminates while talks for the new contract are still going on, the old contract invariably is continued in effect until such time as a new agreement is reached. The negotiations opened here a few weeks ago. Thomas J. Shea, assistant to "IA" international president Richard F. Walsh, heads the union group of negotiators, while Joseph E. McMahon of Republic is chairman of the distributors' negotiating committee. Book Telenews in 60 British Houses London, Dec. 4. — Sidney L. Bernstein, whose abrogation of newsreel contracts on the ground they had no entertainment value has become the subject of legal proceedings, has booked Telenews into his 60-theatre Granada circuit. The U. S. reel is called the International Review. Telenews has formed part of the program at the Monseigneur group of London newsreel theatres for the past four years. Alfred Tunwell, Telenews distributor here, says master prints must be flown from the U. S. Processing and editing is handled at the National Screen Service London plant. The action against Bernstein for his previous cancellation of newsreels is now awaiting an appeal to the House of Lords. Six Chi. Theatres Ask Reorganization Chicago, Dec. 4.— Petitions for voluntary reorganization and debt settlement have been filed in Federal Court here by six South Side theatres, the Ark, Midway, Woodlawn, Ray, Langley and Victory, and a combination bowling alley and tavern, the Victory Recreation Center. The petitions involve four corporations having as mutual f president, Saul Lockwood, who V^if'ibuted the theatres' financial difficulties to "the many factors which have hit us very hard this year, among them easy credit, television competition, as well as competition from other forms of entertainment, and some very bad weather." The six theatres are asking that their creditors receive 50 per cent of their bills payable at five per cent a month beginning one year after the court's approval. The liabilities and assets of the companies will be filed in 20 clays. The four corporations are : Gollos Brothers, Inc., who operate the Ray, Langley (now closed) and Victory theatres and the Victory Recreation Center ; the Ark Theatre Corp., operators of the Ark ; Midway Theatre Corp., operators of the Midway ; and Golbro Theatre, Inc., operators of the Woodlawn. Paramount has started the ball rolling on a stepped-up program of promotion for short subjects, according to Oscar A. Morgan, short subject sales manager. A letter has been sent to each division manager with reference to a mailing piece on "Fiesta Time," which will be angled towards pre-selling for the exhibitor at the point of sale. • Both Life and Look will give Universale "Harvey" an unprecedented build-up when both magazines feature layouts of picture and editorial matter in their issues of Dec. 5, which have an estimated readership of more than 30,000,000 and will be on the_ newsstands this week. "Harvey" will have its world premiere at the Astor Theatre here on Dec. 20 as a benefit for the New York Heart Association. • Earle Evans, Metro exploiteer in New Orleans, worked up the "Keepsake" diamond ring tieup for "King Solomon's Mines" with the New Orleans Item, promoting the contest as a cooperative gesture. Over 2,000 lines of space resulted. 0 A wide variety of books, pamphlets and other material giving tips on how to play better golf will be released by publishers in time to tie in with the promotion of "Follow the Sun," 20th Century-Fox's story of Ben Hogan. It is estimated that 10,000,000 of the nation's golfers will be reached by the publications. The picture is scheduled for release in March. — Walter Brooks Trade Practices for Television Planned Washington, Dec. 4. — Robert C. Sprague, president of the Radio-Television Manufacturers Association, has appointed a trade practice conference committee in anticipation of a fair trade practice conference for the television industry before the Federal Trade Commission. The RTMA board of directors has approved a recommendation of the set division executive committee's that the application be made to the Federal Trade Commission. The fundamental objective of the conference will be to extend and apply the Trade Practice Rules for the radio manufacturing industry, promulgated June 22, 1939, to the television manufacturing industry. Atlas Corp. Owns 12% Of Disney's Stock Atlas Corp. reports that its present holdings of Walt Disney Productions securities amounts to 12.22 per cent of the latter company's voting stock. The Atlas total assets amount to $59,931,836, with cash and other receivables listed at $8,014,507. Coast's Film Council Scores WB Layoffs Hollywood, Dec. 4. — Hollywood AFL Film Council issued an anouncement that members in the regular weekly meeting today unanimously voted "condemnation" of the Warner studio for "shutting down production" as the Christmas holidays approach, thus reducing employment. The announcement accused the studio of doing the same thing in the past three years and said the film council's urging that the studio arrange production to avert a necessity laying off of workers at holiday time has been unavailing. Tenn. Town Gets Censors Nashville, Dec. 4. — Elizabethton is the first small town in this state to have a regular censor board, created as the result of an ordinance passed by the city council. Park Avenue Theatre Re-opens on Dec. 21 Re-opening of the Park Avenue Theatre, deluxe showcase again under the operation of its builder, Walter Reade, is scheduled for Dec. 21. The first bill will be the New York premiere of M-G-M's "Stars in My Crown," with an extended run in view. It will be followed by J. Arthur Rank's "The Blue Lamp," to be released in the U. S. by Eagle Lion Classics. Reade resumed control of the theatre last Tuesday, when Universal-International surrendered the lease under which it had been operating for several years. Reade stated at that time that the theatre would be a firstrun, and would play "the pick of the pictures from Hollywood." Allied Views {Continued from page 1) the Justice Department at the end of the week. The letters will add that Myers will be available any time to discuss Allied's stand. Myers will leave tonight for Boston and the convention of the Independent Theatre Owners of New England.