Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1951)

2 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, February 27, 1951 Personal Mention ANDY W. SMITH, 20th Century■ Fox sales vice-president, has returned to his office following a twoweek vacation. James R. Grainger, Republic executive vice-president in charge of sales and distribution, has returned to New York from a tour of Southern exchanges. • Montague Salmon, managing director of New York's Rivoli Theatre, accompanied by Mrs. Salmon, has left here for the Coast on a vacation trip. Sol Siegel, 20th Century-Fox producer, is en route here from England on the •S'.-S". Queen Elizabeth and will leave immediately for Hollywood following his arrival on Friday. • Calvin Gaeta, assistant buyer and booker for Martina Theatre Corp., Albion, N. Y., recently became the father of a baby girl, Pamela Ann. • Harry Hardman, head of the sound department of the Wilby-Kincey Theatre Service Co., Atlanta, is confined to a hospital there. • Edwin L. Harin, Warner Brothers director, has entered Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, Hollywood, for a checkup. • Bili Woods has been promoted from office manager to city salesman at the Minneapolis Columbia exchange. Max Thorpe, British managing director for Columbia, has returned to London following a home office visit here. • Arthur C. Bromberg, of Monogram's Southern Exchanges, Atlanta, has returned there from Chicago. • Eddie Cantor and George Jessel will be honored at a testimonial dinner here on May 5, to be given by the Jewish Theatrical Guild. • Mort Spring, vice-president of Loew's International, returned here yesterday from the Coast. William H. Wright, M-G-M producer, is slated to leave here for Hollywood tomorrow. • Emanuel Silverstone of 20th Century-Fox's foreign department, has left London for South Africa. • William B. Levy, worldwide sales head for Walt Disney Productions, has returned here from Hollywood. • Al Margolies has returned here from London where he produced three 30-minute films for television. • Hugh Owen, Paramount's Eastern and Southern division manager, is in Boston today. 'Look' Awards Go to Davis, Stewart. Swanson. Zanuck Bette Davis, James Stewart, Gloria Swanson and Darryl F. Zanuck have been named tops in the "Annual Movie Awards" of Look Magazine in "tribute to their outstanding achievement in the motion picture industry." Bob Hope will present gold plaques to the 1950 Look award winners on his radio program this evening over the NBC network, marking the 10th annual presentation of Look awards which are given "to the men and women who create America's film entertainment." At the same time, Look's selection of the "best pictures of the year" will be named as follows : "All About Eve," (20th Century-Fox) ; "Annie Get Your Gun," (M-G-M) ; "In A Lonely Place," (Columbia) ; "The Jackpot," (20th Century-Fox) ; "The Asphalt Jungle," (M-G-M) ; "Cinderella," (DisneyRKO) ; "Kind Hearts and Coronets," (Eagle Lion) ; "King Solomon's Mines," (M-G-M) ; "Cyrano de Bergerac," (United Artists) ; "Mister 880," (20th CenturyFox) ; "The Glass Menagerie," (Warner) ; "Harvey," (Universal-International) ; "No Way Out," (20th Century-Fox) ; "Sunset Boulevard,' (Paramount); "Francis," (UniversalInternational) ; "The Men," (United Artists). Bette Davis was named best actress of the year "for the greatest performance of her life," in "All About Eve," James Stewart was named best actor of the year, for his roles in "Harvey" and "The Jackpot." Gloria Swanson will be given a special award, "for the most sensational comeback in motion picture history." To Zanuck will go an "All-Industry Achievement Award," for his contributions to the screen in 1950, and as a pace-setter for the industry." Gold plaques will also be presented to Judy Holliday, as the most promising female newcomer, "for one of the freshest, most dazzling comedy performances, in 'Born Yesterday' " ; to Marlon Brando, as the most promising (male) newcomer, "for an outstanding debut, in 'The Men' " ; to Josephine Hull, as the best supporting female player, for her role as Elwood P. Dowd's sister in "Harvey," and to Arthur Kennedy, as the best supporting male player, for his brother role in "The Glass Menagerie." Gold plaque presentations will also be made to Stanley Kramer, as "best producer," "for proving that good films with unusual themes can be made on low budgets, and for producing two of the year's best pictures, 'The Men' and 'Cyrano de Bergerac' " ; to Joseph Mankiewicz, "best writer and best director," "as both writer and director of 'All About Eve' " (this is the first time in the 10-year history of the Look Awards that two Achievement Awards are given to a single person) ; to Robert Surtees, "best cameraman," "for his Technicolor photography in 'King Solomon's Mines,' the best cinematography of the year," and to Walt Disney who will be given a special 10year award, "for making the most original films in the world." Top Honors in 'Look' Poll to Chakeres The ever-increasing importance of the exhibitor to the industry is recognized in the current issue of Look Magazine. An award will be presented to Phil Chakeres of Springfield, Ohio, head of Chakeres Theatres, who "symbolizes the showmanship and community service of 20,000 theatremen throughout the United States," the magazine's publishers announced here yesterday. This marks the first time that Look has made an exhibitor award, given "in recognition of the great contribution of the exhibitor to the whole pattern of the motion picture industry." Variety International aided the magazine in selecting the winning exhibitor. Ebenstein in MPAA Copyright Post Morris Ebenstein of Warner Brothers was named chairman of the Motion Picture Association's copyright committee at a luncheon-meeting held here yesterday at the Hotel Algonquin. Ebenstein succeeds Edwin P. Kilroe who resigned from the committee post concurrent with his retirement from 20th Century-Fox. In an unprecedented action, the committee also designated David O. Decker of Loew's as its honorary chairman. Cyril S. Landau of Universal was elected secretary. The terms are for one year. Present at yesterday's meeting, in addition to Decker, Ebenstein and Landau, were : Irving Moross, Columbia ; James S. Polk, Paramount ; Theodore R. Black, Republic; Peter F. Pugliese, RKO; Harry J. Mclntyre, 20th Century-Fox ; Adolph Schimel, Universal ; Austin C. Keough, chairman of MPAA's law committee ; Sidney Schreiber, MPAA. ELC-Loew's-RKO Action Moves Along Washington, Feb. 26. — Attorneys for Eagle Lion Classics on the one hand and Loew's and RKO circuits on the other have "just about worked out" an agreement as to how much information each will supply the other in connection with the $15,000,000 anti-trust action now pending in New York. ELC brought the suit against RKO and Loew's charging that the two companies refused to let independentlyproduced films into their New York neighborhood first run circuits. Today, Feb. 26, was originally set as the date for each party to answer interrogatories served by the other, but there was considerable dispute as to the scope of these interrogatories, and rather than fight it out in court the parties have been negotiating on the scope of the information to be supplied. These negotiations are nearly over, and when final agreement is reached a new deadline for supplying the information will be set. 20th-Fox Declares Three Dividends The board of directors of 20th Century-Fox has declared a quarterly dividend of %\.\2]/2 per share on outstanding prior perferred stock, payable March 15 to the stockholders of record on March 6. A quarterly dividend of 37^2 cents on convertible preferred, a quarterly dividend of 50 cents on outstanding common also have been declared, both payable March 30 to stockholders of record on March 6. Gluck Named a V. P. Of United World Norman E. Gluck has been named a vice-president and a member of the board of directors of United World Films, non-theatrical film subsidiary of Universal Pictures, it was announced here yesterday by James M. Franey, company president. Gluck has been associated with United World for the past three years and during the past year he has been in charge of the television department. Before joining United World, he was a theatre manager, managing the Park Avenue Theatre here during 1947-48. He managed Skouras theatres for 12 years. Piracy Suit Against 20th-Fox Dismissed Judge Samuel H. Kaufman yesterday dismissed in U. S. District Court here the $500,000 piracy action filed against 20th Century-Fox by Anthony Richard Pinci who had alleged the company infringed on his play about Woodrow Wilson in producing the picture "Wilson." The jurist found that similarities did not exist between Pinci's work and the picture. NEW YORK THEATRES RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL Rockefeller Center BETTE DAVIS BARRY SULLIVAN in "Payment on Demand' Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures plus SPECTACULAR STAGE PRESENTATION DICK POWELL RHONDA FLEMING . or ar Banger person"1 MSS CASE affiles *BBfc»* Midnight Feotur* Nightly 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: (Juigpuoco, New York." Martin Ouigley, President; Red Kann, Vice-President; Martin Ouigley, 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, YuccaVine Building, William K weaver, Editor. 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