Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1952)

2 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, March 25, 1952 Personal Mention BARNEY BALABAN, Paramount president ; Paul Raibourn, vicepresident, and Russell Holman, Kastern production manager, have returned to New York from Hollywood. • Jesse L. Lasky was in Philadelphia over the weekend from Hollywood to address the bi-annual meeting of the Music Educators National Conference. He is due back at the studio tomor GiNO Cervi, Italian film star now in New York, will be honored by Italian Films Export at a cocktail party in the Rainbow Grill here on Thursday. • Allen M. Widen, motion picture editor of the Hartford Times, has returned there from Los Angeles. • Stirling Silliphant, 20th Century-Fox publicity manager, returned here yesterday from St. Petersburg, Fla. Bamberger Urges {^Continued from page 1) lem of the stay-at-homes, who buy and read fewer newspapers ; shop less, thus impairing the effectiveness of merchants' newspaper advertising, and paid less attention to community affairs. Bamberger cited recent approaches to good working relationships between exhibitors and newspapers which have been made in Hartford, Rochester, Houston, Binghamton, and which are being attempted in Minneapolis by North Central Allied, and elsewhere with Gannett and Scripps-Howard newspapers. The efforts, he said, are not only bringing about better publicity, reviewing services and other direct aids to local exhibition but also are making progress in the direction of elimination of premium advertising rates charged by newspapers for theatre advertising. The Hartford Times and the Binghampton Press have abandoned Ijremium amusement advertising rates, witli the result that total lineage has increased. In Houston, neighborhood and second-run theatres are granted a 20 per cent rate reduction, commensurate with that portion of a newspaI)cr's total circulation from which the smaller theatres could not conceivably draw patronage, Bamberger reported. Morris Loewenstein, unit president, oi>ened the meeting, which had a registration of 125, and urged exhibitors to do all possible to keep disputes out of the courts. E. R. Slocum, El Reno, was general chairman, and C. B. Akers was program coordinator. Alfred Starr of Nashville spoke on unjust taxation, print shortages, television in homes and theatres, comIK-titive bidding and the necessity of arbitration. Mitchell Wolfson, TO■^ president, lauded the public relations work of Hollywood players and pleaded for teaching young blood in exhibition. A. D. Cox of Binger was the afternoon chairman. $1,365,000 for 'Show' At Music Hall 'The Greatest Show on Earth" will wind up its 11th week at Radio City Music Hall tomorrow with an est'mated gross of $103,000, bringing the total gross to a terrific $1,365,000. The figure falls short of the all-time record set by "The Great Caruso" which grossed $1,395,000 in its 10-week run in the summer of 1951. "The Greatest Show On Earth" shares the long run record with "Random Harvest," which also played 11 weeks at the house in 1942. "Singin' in the Rain" bows into the Hall on Thursday. lyEWS in Brief N. Y. Grosses Are Fair, Despite Rain Grosses along Broadway ranged from fair to very good despite the weekend rain. At the Capitol "The African Queen," showing the momentum of Humphrey Bogart's winning an "Oscar," did a robust $50',000 for the fifth week. The figure was about 33 per cent higher than the previous week. At the Roxy Theatre a good $60,000 was registered for "Deadline, U.S.A." in its second week along with a stage show. "The Marrying Kind" at the Victoria Theatre continued strong with a second week take of $36,000. Pickets representing the Catholic War Veterans and the Jewish War Veterans still continued to protest in evening hours the alleged Communist sympathies of Judy Holliday and scriptwrite Garson Kanin. "Quo Vadis," in its 21st and last week at the Astor, continued to show vitality with a figure of $17,000. "My Six Convicts" moves into the house tomorrow. In its second and final week at the Paramount "Boots Malone" showed a fair $47,000. "Meet Danny Wilson" with Frank Sinatra, makes its bow at the house today. Business at the Rivoli where "Viva Zapata" is in its seventh week was also fair. The picture did $11,000. At the Strand the reissue of "A Streetcar Named Desire" aid a fair $20,000 in its one week return. Sadler's Wells Ballet begins a two-week run today. A satisfactory $14,000 was chalked up for "The Belle of New York" at Loew's State. The picture is in its third and last week, with "Flesh and Fury" opening Thursday. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was rewarding in the fifth week of its rerelease at the Criterion, where it grossed $15,000. "The Captive City" begins its run at the theatre today. At the Globe "Smoke Jumpers" did a fair $12,500 for its first week. In the eighth week at the Mayfair "Sailor Beware" was also fair with an estimated $20,000. Cleveland, March 24. — The board of directors of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio will meet in Columbus on April 22 to complete final arrangements for the ITOO convention to be held in Cleveland on May 19-21 at the Hollenden Hotel. Speakers lined up, as announced by ITOO secretary Bob Wile, are Abram Myers, Allied general counsel ; Wilbur Snaper, national Allied president ; Maurice Bergman, head of Universal's public relations ; H. M. Ritchey, Loew's exhibitor relations head ; Martin Quigley, Jr., editor of Motion Picture Herald, and W. Ward Marsh, film critic of The Plain Dealer. • The old Paragon movie studios in Fort Lee, N. J., across the river from here, were destroyed by fire Sundav, with at least $1,000,000 in damage to stage and television sets stored in the buildings. Once the film capital of the world, the studios burned out despite the efforts of firemen from nine communities. « Discussion of developments in connection with the long-standing negotiations with Loew's for a contract covering the licensing of music used on sound tracks is expected to take place at the annual membership meeting today of ASCAP at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel here. The business meeting will be followed this evening by the organization's annual dinner. Otto Harbach, ASCAP president, is scheduled to preside at both functions, e Washington, March 24. — The Kentucky State Legislature has adjourned without action on bills to boost the admission tax and set up film censorship, reports Motion Picture Association of America legislative representative Jack Bryson. • Loew's Theatres division managers, Lawrence Beatus, who began with Loew's 40 years ago, and Eugene Meyers, rounding out 44 years with the circuit, who have been on sick leave for some months, have been retired. Their fellow division managers in the New York area, together with home office executives, attended a testimonial luncheon for them yesterday. • Paramount has completed a one-reel film on the new state of Israel which will be released this week by , the United Jewish Appeal for showing throughout the country. Entitled "Front Line '52," the UJA picture is narrated by Eddie Cantor and calls upon all Americans to help the organization raise $151,500,000 to aid Israel. Decentralization (Continued from page 1) trade practices, taxation, and other spheres formerly approached by the national organization. "The necessity is upon us to create a statesmanship and broad understanding of our problems if we hope to survive," tlie TOA president warned. Italians Plan for Big US Year and Are Alert to Code Forecasting wider exhibition and broader mass acceptance of Italian films in the U. S. beginning this year in consequence of a full scale dubbing program, Dr. Renato Gualino, general director of Italian Films Export and president of the International Federation of Motion Picture Producers Associations, yesterday said he believed Italian film-makers in recent months have becom.e increasingly aware of the demands of the American market and the extent to which it is influenced by iuch factors as the ProducUon Code. At a trade press conference in his office here, Gualino said his statement last December that I EE would not encourage adherence to the American Code was made primarily to see what the reaction to such a statement would be here. Treasury Tag (Continued from page 1) made in the "Federal-State-Local Tax Coordination Study" published March 7 by the Departments' tax advisory staff. Rodgers-Compo (Continued from page 1) Loew's : doctor's orders to avoid overburdening with work. Eric A. Johnston, Motion Picture Association of America president, announced on Friday that Rodgers had agreed to serve as chairman of a sales managers committee that will represent distribution at forthcoming industry conferences on arbitration. This appointment preceded any discussion with Rodgers on the possibility of his assuming the COMPO presidency, it is understood. 3rd Winner in a Row Walt Disney's True-Life Adventure, "Nature's Half Acre," current Academy Awards winner, is the third of the series, and the third to win such an award. NEW YORK THEATRES RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL ___ Rockefeller Center CECIL B. DeMILLE'S "THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH" Color by TECHNICOLOR plus SPECTACULAR STAGE PRESENTATION WILLIAM HOLOEN SUnley Oements • Basil Ruysdaci JOHNNY STEWART 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: "Quigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, President; Red Kann, Vice-President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Raymond Levy, Vice-President ; Leo J. Brady, Secretary; James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager, Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building. William R. Weaver. Editor. Chicago Bureau, 120 South LaSalle Street, Urben Farley, Advertising Representative, Fl 6-3074 Bruce Trinz, Editorial Representative, 11 North Clark Street, FR-2-2843. Washington, J. A. Otten, National Press Cluh, Washington, D. C. London Bureau, 4 Golden Sq., London Wl; Hope Burnup, Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor; cable address, "Quigrpubco, London." 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