Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1952)

10 Motion Picture daily Tuesday, January 15, 1952 Convertibility Guaranty Contracts In New European Countries in Work The Mutual Security Agency, successor to the Economic Cooperation Administration, is understood to be ready to write new film convertibility guaranty contracts in several new European countries, but to end the guaranty program in Germany. The agency feels, it is understood, that the film companies can get dollars out of Germany without government help, and that the program should be ended there. Film companies oppose the change. In return for ending the program in Germany, the agency is said to be willing to set up new programs in several countries where U.S. companies are finding difficulty in getting dollars out. The countries include one very strategic Balkan country, it is learned. Coming Events Jan. 15. — Republic regional sales meeting, Blackstone Hotel, Chicago. Jan." 15-16 — Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Theatre Owners trustee's meeting, Hotel Benson, Portland. Jan. 15-16 — Paramount sales meeting. New York. Jan. 16-17 — Republic regional sales meeting. New York. Jan. 19 — Monogram executive sales conferences, Hollywood. Jan. 20 — Second annual Communion breakfast, \\'aldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York. Jan. 20 — First annual Toronto area industry Communion breakfast, Royal York Hotel, Toronto. Jan. 21-22 — Allied Theatre Owners of the Gulf States meeting, Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans. Jan. 21-22 — Republic regional sales meeting, Jung Hotel, New Orleans. Jan. 23 — Cinema Stamp Collectors meeting. Hotel Astor, New York. Jan. 28-31 — Theatre Owners of America board meeting, National Theatres headquarters, Hollywood. Feb. 4-6 — Allied States Association annual board meeting, Hotel Statler, Washington. Feb. 13 — Cinema Stamp Collectors meeting. Hotel Astor, New York. Feb. 14-15 — Council of Motion Picture Organizations annual executive board meeting, New York. Legion of Decency Puts 1 in Class B The latest Legion of Decency report places nine films in Class A and one in Class B, the latter being 20th Century-Fox's "Phone Call from a Stranger." The list of A films follows : "Flaming Feather," Paramount ; "Fort Osage," Monogram ; "Indian Uprising," Columbia ; "Red Snow," Columbia; "Secret Flight" (British), Distinguished Films, Inc. ; "The Treasurer of Lost Canyon," Universal-International ; "Another Man's Poison," United Artists ; "Tembo," RKO Radio, and "Women in the Dark," Republic. Grayson, Keel to Tour S. America Hollywood, Jan. 14. ■ — Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel, M-G-M stars, on Thursday, will head the "Flying Show Boat" unit which will leave for a three-week tour of South American cities. The junket, which has been approved by the U. .S. State Department, will cover such cities as Havana, Lima, Santiago, Valparaiso, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Primarily, the tour is designed to promote "Show Boat." In addition the stars will talk on "An American In Paris" and "Quo \'adis," making speeches and radio appearances as representatives from Hollywood espousing the cause for general public relations. Bill Lyon of M-G-M's publicity department ; Hans .Sommers, accompanist, and Sally Morton, secretary, will tour with the stars. Wolfberg Concludes Testimony in Denver Denver, Jan. 14. — Harris Wolfberg finished direct testimony in Cinema Amusement's case against RKO 20thFox and Loew's. Wolfberg said he was unable to get first-run films for the Broadway. He declared that not only was he refused by defendants but that Warner Brothers also turned him down on good pictures. Frederick Pride, 20th's attorney, failed to get Judge Lee Knous to strike out the testimony of Wolfberg that the Broadway was in very bad condition when it was taken over. Direct and cross examination dwelled on grosses at the Denver, Paramount and Broadway. It was shown that the Broadway grossed more on a first-run but took more weeks to do it. Denver grosses on top films for the first week usually ran close to double that at the Broadway. 'Wolfberg testified he had been offered a last chance booking for $1,000 for the length of a run. but did not take it because he had sold it for $400 to $500 for first-runs while he was yet employed by Metro. The action is for $1,000,000 under the antitrust laws. New RTMA Section Washington, Jan. 14. — Establishment of a government relations section and reorganization of the transmitter division of the Radio-Television Manufacturers Association to better serve the expanding electronics industry was announced today by chairman H. J. Hoffman, of Machlett Laboratories, Inc., Springdale, Conn. New sections of the transmitter division, as well as the division executive committee, will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 6, during the three-day RTMA industry conference at the Roosevelt Hotel here. Lists '10 Best' Choice Hartford, Jan. 14. — "The Blue Veil" tops this year's 10 Best Films listing by Allen M. Widem, Hartford Times motion picture editor. Also on the list are "Detective Story," "Our Very Own," "Place in the Sun," "Magnificent Yankee," "American in Paris," "Great Caruso," "At War With the Army," "Showboat" and "Strangers on a Train." Irwin Re-appointed Ottawa, Jan. 14. — W. Arthur Irwin has been re-appointed chairman of the National Film Board and Government Film Commissioner, Resources Minister Robert H. Winters announced here. Formerly editor of Maclean's Magazine, Irwin was named to the post in Dec. 1949. Select First Films ForB,B£. Telecast London, Jan. 14. — Four British films and two American have been chosen by British Broadcasting Co. for trailer use on the first telecast of its kind here, starting Thursday. The films are: RKO Radio's "1 Want You;" United Artists' "Cyrano de Bergerac;" General Film Distributors' "Where No Vultures Fly" and "Encore," and British Lion's "Lady Godiva Rides Again" and "The Magic Box." Two of the pictures currently are on Gaumont release ; two on A.B.C., one on Odeon and the sixth, "Cyrano," is going out to independents only. Selections are now being made for the second film trailer telecast Jan. 31 and films are being viewed for the February issues, the 14th and 28th. Where for years the film trade here had been wary of permitting any film footage whatever to be used on B.B.C. television, there now appears to be keen competition among distributors to have their product included in the trailers. Kenmore Theatre in Boston Robbed Boston, Jan. 14.— Joseph Sandler, managing director of the Kenmore Theatre here, and the doorman, Raymond Atchison, were held up at gunpoint and the box-ofRce robbed of $50 — all that was there, since receipts are taken out hourly during the day. An attempted holdup of the Capitol Theatre in Alliston, .Mass., was foiled as the cashier, Elizabeth Keating, refused to hand over the receipts despite the threat of a gun. Four teenage boys making the attempt, who ran when Miss Keating pressed the emergency alarm, were later apprehended by the police. Boston's Strand Theatre Robbed of $1000 Boston, Jan. 14. — James Cronin, employed at the Strand Theatre in South Boston, was slugged and clubbed in the corridor of that theatre this afternoon as he was carrying seven canvas bags containing $1,000 which he was taking to a nearby bank for deposit. The bandits grabbed the seven canvas bags and fled. Five of the seven canvas bags were recovered by the police. Middletown Price Hike Hartford, Jan. 14. — First-run theatres in nearby Middletown have upped admission charges, with Sal Adorno, Jr., of the Adorno-Middletown Theatres there attributing the hike to "the continued rise in the costs of operation." Columbia Meet In Chi. Today Columbia today will begin the third of a series of four sales meetings at the Drake Hotel, Chicago, with branch and division managers and home office executives in attendance. The Chicago sessions will run four days, with the Central division manager and Mid-Western division manager, as well as managers of the Indianapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, Des Moines and Minneapolis branches in attendance. List Those Present Home office executives present will be general sales manager A. Montague ; assistant sales manager Rube Jackter, and George Josephs, assistant to Montague. From the field will be Carl Shalit, Central division manager; B. C. Marcus, Mid-Western division manager ; Indianapolis branch manager Abe Gelman ; Detroit manager M. Zimmerman ; Milwaukee manager Harry Olshan ; St. Louis manager C. D. Hill ; Kansas City, Tom Baldwin ; Omaha, Joe Jacobs ; Des Moines, B. Shapiro ; and Minneapolis manager H. J. Chapman. The fourth and final series of meetings will be held at the Warwick Hotel, New York, Jan. 24-25. Circus Paintings For Educational Unit The board of education of New York has accepted from Paramount 10 sets of reproductions of paintings, inspired by the circus, and is displaying them in high schools of the city concurrent with the Radio City Music Hall engagement of Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show on Earth." A written commentary on the paintings and the painters is made available to the principal or teacher exhibiting the works of art. 13 Dates in Canada For *Quo Vadis* M-G-M has scheduled 13 Canadian openings for "Quo Vadis," with the premiere now set for Loew's Yonge Theatre in Toronto, Jan. 31. On the following day, it will have its Montreal premiere at Loew's. Ten other openings are set for February in the following cities, Hamilton, Ottawa ; Quebec, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, St. John, Halifax, Regina, Calgary and the Royal at Victoria, B. C, on March 4. Daker to Association Robert Daker, formerly director of the March of Time, forum films has joined the staff of Association Films, Inc., as head of a newly-created subsidiary which will take over existing films produced by the company and other material for which the parent firm now has distribution rights. The new company will also engage in production of educational films and film-strips. The announcement was made by J. R. Bingham, president. Realart Gets Italian Film Realart Pictures has acquired the Italian film, "The Sky Is Red," for U. S._ and Canadian distribution. The film is being readied for immediate release.