Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1951)

Motion Picture Daily Friday, March 16, 1951 Personal Mention EMANUEL D. SILVERSTONE, vice-president of 20th CenturyFox International and InterAmerican Corp., is due to return here on Tuesday from a six-week's business tour abroad. Abner Sideman, circulation manager of Cowles Magazines, will lecture on "Circulation Promotion" on Monday at New York's New School for Social Research. • Pan Berman, M-G-M producer, is due to leave Hollywood on March 26 for New York en route to England and Italv. Harold Wirthwein, Western sales manager for Monogram and Allied Artists, has arrived here from Hollywood. Hal Marshall, Paramount's Washington, D. C, field representative, became the father of a son on Wednesday, the Marshall's third child. • Milton J. Salzburg, head of Cornell Film Productions, left here yesterday for Syracuse to select production location cites. • Jules Lapidus, Warner's Eastern and Canadian division sales manager, is in Washington today, returning to New York over the weekend. • Lou J. Kaufman, Warner's home office theatre executive has left New York for Florida and will return early in April. • Ned Clarke, Latin-American division manager for RKO Pictures, is due, to leave here at the weekend for a business trip to Mexico. • Charles Levy, Eastern publicity manager for Walt Disney Productions, is scheduled to return here today from Cleveland. • Gene Katz of M-G-M's print department will leave here today for a Miami vacation. Columbus Tilts Prices Columbus, O., March IS. — Downtown first-run theatres have raised their Monday-through-Friday evening adult admissions to 70 cents, from 64 cents. The Saturday, Sunday and holiday admission of 70 cents remains unchanged. FRENCH STRIKE RECIPROCITY NOTE FOR U.S. NEGOTIATIONS Flick Sees Need For State Censors Paris, March 14 (By Air Mail).— The pending Franco-American film pact negotiations are likely to follow the pattern of the recent FrancoBritish talks, according to observers here. It was decided at the Franco-British meetings that when and if the British chose to "push" French films, France would be willing to grant an extra dubbing visa in return for each French film booked into a British circuit. Contact made thus far between American film industry representatives in Paris and the French Producers' Syndicate has not made much head way. The Americans have suggested that most of the difficult ground will have been covered to the satisfaction of both sides when the official talks open. However, one Syndicate official has said that the demands of the Americans are "out of the question." He added that "Freedom is fine when the contestants are equal. The kind of freedom the Americans want is like matching a flyweight against a heavyweight." He said that French theatremen do not want more American films. American representatives here, however, take a contrary view. Close 4 Ohio Theatres Cleveland1, March 15. — Four theatres in this state have been closed, including the Nixon, at Akron ; Allen, Toledo ; Dresden, Dresden, and the Rex at Dillonvale. Two More Awards to 'All About Eve9 Hollywood, March 15. — The Screen Directors Guild has chosen Joseph L. Mankiewicz as the winner of the guild's quarterly award for 20th Century-Fox's "All About Eve." 'Eve' Wins Page One Award Twentieth Century-Fox's "All About Eve" has been awarded the annual "Page One" citation for distinguished achievement in the field of motion pictures by the Newspaper Guild of New York. The award will be presented to the company at the annual Page One Ball at the Hotel Astor on-April 13. 'Good* Americanism Cited by Freeman Hollywood, March 15. — "Our industry doesn't want anyone who isn't a good American," Y. Frank Freeman, Association of Motion Picture Producers board chairman, declared in response to the tributes extended him last night. The occasion was the testimonial dinner tendered him at the Beverly Hills Hotel, attended by state, civic and industry leaders. Freeman, said in part, "I found this industry, city and state had heart. I found friends in all creeds and all walks of life. This is a great industry. . . ." Special 'Sun' Screening A special screening of 20th Century-Fox's "Follow the Sun," will be held here at the company's home office on Monday for members of the Sports Broadcasters Association. Those expected to attend include Mel Allen, Ted Husing, Red Barber and Bill Stern. A luncheon will follow the screening. Ohio Drive-in Opens Canton, O., March 15.— Mid-City Drive-in on route No. 62 at Harrisburg, owned by Irving and Jerome Reinhart of Canton, is the first drivein to open in this area. Set 'Nightingale' "The Emperor's Nightingale," English-language version of a Czechoslovakia color feature employing stringless puppets, has been completed and is being; readied for its American premiere, William L. Snyder, president of Rembrandt Films, has announced. The film's English narration was written by Phyllis McGinley. 16mm. Firms Warned Of an Imposter Sargoy and Stein, copyright infringement attorneys for distributors, yesterday warned 16mm. film companies that "a person posing as a priest has been reported as having acquired 16mm. prints from established dealers in this city for the claimed purpose of giving exhibitions before religious youth organizations, and then disappearing with the prints. "Subsequent inquiry at a religious institution with which the youth organization was supposedly connected, established that there was no such actual youth organization and no knowledge of the booking," said Sargoy and Stein. The matter has been turned over to the police. Albany, March 15. — The Production Code has done a "tremendous amount of good in making more acceptable films" but there is "a whole area in which they never come near where groups and organizations like ours do most serviceable work," Dr. Hugh L. Flick, director of the Motion Picture Division of the State Education Department, claimed in a talk on "Censorship" before the Loudonville PTA today. The state code "is a detailed document laying down, almost word for word, what can be shown on the screen," he said, adding "one criticism raised of this type of regulation is that it gives a producer a ready made pattern, which he can work around in his script." Dr. Flick continued : "The motion picture industry says some 90 per cent of the films shown in the United States have Production Code seals. That undoubtedly is true, but over 40 per cent which the Motion Picture Division processed last year did not have the code seal. A quarter of our films are produced outside the United States. It is obvious that the motion picture industry has found it impossible wholly to control the industry. There are a great many independent producers and a great many films made without the code seal." S chary Cites Film Editors Function Hollywood, March 15. — The importance of film cutting departments was stressed by Dore Schary, production vice-president of M-G-M, in a speech last night at the first annual dinner of the newly-formed American Cinema Editors organization. Film editors, said Schary, can materially improve product by eliminating cliches of every kind wherever encountered. Problems in 14 Lands Discussed by MPEA Current distribution problems in 14 countries were discussed here yesterday at a meeting of the board of the Motion Picture Export Association, at which John G. McCarthy, MPEA vice-president, presided. The meeting adopted a resolution expressing the board's regret at the death recently of Jacob Segal, vicepresident and treasurer of Columbia International. Heyn Quits Macfadden Ernest V. Heyn, vice-president and editor-in-chief of Macfadden Publications, has resigned, to become effective on April 24. Heyn joined the company in 1934, became editor of Photoplay, Radio Mirror, and later of Liberty. He became editor-in-chief of all Macfadden magazines in May, 1948. Legion Reviews Nine; Two in Class 'B' The National Legion of Decency has reviewed nine additional films, two of which were put in "Class B," and the remainder, in "Class A." Those in "Class B" include "House on Telegraph Hill," 20th CenturyFox, and "Inside Straight," M-G-M. Classified "Class A, section one" were : "Navy Bound," Monogram; "Silver Citv "Bonanza," Republic, and "Stage to Tuscon," Columbia. Under "section two, Class A," were : "Cuban Fireball," Republic, "The Fat Man," UniversalInternational, "Lullaby of Broadway," Warner, and "Oh ! Susanna," Republic. NEW YORK THEATRES RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL Rockefeller Center FRED AST AJ RE JANE POWELL "ROYAL WEDDING" Color by TECHNICOLOR A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Picture plus THE MUSIC HALL'S GREAT EASTER STAGE SHOW record week! BO"* A Columbia Picture MOTION PICTURE Sundays and holidays New York." Martin Quigley, _ James P. Cunning-ham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke^, Advertising Manager; Gus^H. Editor. Chicago Bureau, London Bureau, 4 Golden Published daily, except Saturdays. Quigpubco, dy, Secretary; C. ure News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; (jus il. rausei, rroauctio.. . N^tirmal Press Club Washington, D. , 120 South LaSalle Street, Urben Farley, Advertising Representative, FI 6-3074. 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