Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1952)

2 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, October 2, 1952 Personal Mention JOHN C. FLINN, Allied Artists J advertising-publicity director, is in New York following the company's Chicago sales convention and plans to return to the Coast tomorrow. • . Clyde Gilmour,motion picture editor of the Vancouver, B. C, Sun, Canadian Broadcasting System film commentator and entertainment editor of MacLean's magazine, is in New York from Vancouver. Harold Wirthwein, Allied Artists Western sales manager, has left Chicago for Hollywood. 9 Joseph Sistrom, Paramount producer, left here yesterday for London. • Arthur Willi, RKO Radio Eastern talent chief, is in Chicago. 'Flat Top' Promotion Gets Navy Support ' Washington, Oct. 1.— Navy approval has been given for collaboration with Allied Artists in promoting "Flat Top," Walter Mirisch production filmed in cooperation with the Navy, highlighted by a world premiere aboard the U'.S.S. Princeton off San Diego on Armistice Day, it was_ disclosed here today by Capt. Lewis S. Parks, USN. In addition, Navy recruiting stations throughout the country will aid directly in exploiting the film by the use of banners and full line accessories, at no cost to the Navy. Naval and military dignitaries, civil leaders and state officials, in addition to the press, will attend the premiere. Following the premiere, the picture, which co-stars Sterling Hayden and Richard Carlson, will open day and date in three FoxWest-Coast theatres in San Diego. Half of Mexican Screen Time Must Now Go to Home Films The Mexican Congress yesterday passed a new film industry law that requires every Mexican theatre to devote at least half of its annual screen time to Mexican-made films, according to news reports from that country. The law would affect particularly theatres in Mexico City and other large cities which feature American films almost exclusively all year. American film spokesmen in Mexico immediately described the law as "discriminatory." The law placed all phases of the industry under Federal Government regulations and established the Minister of the Interior as the industry's boss, with what was described by an American spokesman as "enough power to put us out of business in a week." 'Solomon' First UA Small Film in '53 Aylesworth Services Set for Tomorrow Funeral services for Merlin Hall Aylesworth, who died here Tuesday, will be conducted at 11 A. M. tomorrow in the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home, Madison Ave. and 81st Street. Aylesworth, former president and chairman of Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corp. and Radio Pictures, Inc., first president of National Broadcasting, and a former publisher of the New York World Telegram, is survived by the widow, Caroline, and two children by his first wife. Rogers 'Salute' to Open on Nov. 1 The annual "National Christmas Salute" to the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital will open on Nov. 1 and continue through Jan. 1, Abe Montague and R. J. O'Donnell, president and chairman, respectively, of the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital Fund board, disclosed yesterday. During the "Christmas Salute members of the amusement industry will sign the five-mile-long Christmas o-reeting to patients at the hospital at Saranac Lake, N. Y., and will contribute toward its support. The goal of the 1952 "Salute" is 150,000 ..signers and $200,000 in contributions. Jack L. Warner Leaves Academy Hollywood, Oct. 1.— Jack L. Warner has tendered his personal resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which _ he had maintained since the organization's inception. He said, in a statement, I have resigned from the Academy because the demands of my production duties and my efforts on behalf of various charities leave me no time to maintain active membership. When such active membership is no longer possible, I do not believe in membership in any organization just for sake of belonging." Hollywood, Oct. 1. — United Artists announced today that Edward Small's 1953 production program will be headed by "King Solomon's Wives," a "color spectacle" to be filmed in this country. Six black-and-white productions remain on Small's 1952 program of which "Kansas City Confidential," is completed, and "Bandits of Corsica" is nearly completed. "King Solomon's Wives" is independent of Small's arrangement with Mike Todd to film "The Viking" in Europe, where Todd is currently making preparations for production. The remaining films on Small's 1952 program are "Barbarossa," 'Johnny Ringo," "Crosstown," and Screening Eagles." Wolfbergs, UA Named in Suit Denver, Oct. 1— Suit for $100,000 damages, to be trebled if won, has been filed in U. S. District Court by Kar-Vue Theatres, headed by Lem Lee, against United Artists and theatre companies headed by Harris and John Wolfberg, father and son. The suit alleges that Kar-Vue was unable to buy a proper run at proper prices of United Artists films for the Monaco drive-in, Denver. The Wolfbergs have six theatres in Denver, including four drive-ins. They recently won a $300,000 judgment against RKO Radio, Loew's and 20th-Fox and have another suit pending asking for $1,000,000 from the same companies for alleged inability to buy films at proper runs and prices for the Broadway. Reelect Cook (Continued from page 1) Italian Film Group Meets Impellitteri Mayor Vincent Impellitteri will meet top executives of the Italian film industry today at City Hall and officially proclaim Oct. 6-12 as "Salute to Italian Films Week." Included in the delegation will be Dr. Renato Gaulino, general director of Italian Films Export ; Dr. Emanuele Cassuto, managing director of Unitalia ; E. R. Zorgniotti, U. S. representative of I.F.E. ; and Jonas Rosenfield, Jr.^ executive director of "Salute Week." RKO Pictures (Continued from page 1) the following are new on the board: Glen Hall, Don Burnett, and Stanley Durwood. Alfred Starr, Theatre Owners of America, president, the main speaker, emphasized the desperate need for organization in the motion picture industry lest its hostile critics destroy it entirely. He said: "It is a crying shame that other industries are able so effectively to protect and publicize their interests while the motion picture industry continues to be the target of crackpots and self aggrandizing publicity seekers." 'Free Riders' He characterized as "free riders" those exhibitors who make no financial contribution of any kind to their regional or national trade association even though it is obvious that no single exhibitor is in a position to defend himself and his industry. Several speakers emphasized the value of projects and proposals emanating from the experience of exhibitors in the several regions, for their own advancement and for guidance of national groups. In discussions of public relations, proposals were developed and put into specific outline by Senn Lawler of Fox Midwest. _ He quoted several proposals made in a Chicago conference four years ago, and then set up these fields of effort: one, an exhibit; two, visits to communities by industry representatives, including actors who have been briefed carefully by a representative committee for talks and interviews ; three, a centrally located source of information from which anybody in the industry might get promptly desired material for meeting a trend against films or for promoting a project benefiting the industry ; four, a series of industry newspaper advertisements; five, tran O'Hara and J. Miller Walker. The new board will include members of the Ralph Stolkin purchasing syndicate and their representatives. _ The preponderance of opinion in trade and financial circles yesterday was that Depinet will be reelected president and that RKO Pictures' management will be left intact. Stolkin is expected to become chairman of the board. It was learned yesterday that the Stolkin syndicate under its stock purchase agreement with Hughes can acquire the 1,050,000-share block for $6.50 per share by completing payment in less than the two years allotted to it. The $7 per share price remains if the purchasing group avails itself of the full two-year period. No Conversations Held Meanwhile, officials of Bankers Trust Co. here stated that no conversations whatever had been held with the Stolkin group concerning financing for RKO Pictures. The statement was in reply to reports that a first order of business for the new owners might be the re-negotiation of the company's revolving credit with Bankers Trust and the Mellon Bank of Pittsburgh. The new owners have scheduled a reception for members of the new board and of management at the 21 Club here today, following the election meeting. Tomorrow, they will meet with press representatives at Toots Shor's restaurant. At yesterday's meeting in addition to Stolkin were A. L. Koolish, Sherrill Corwin, E. J. Burke, Ray Ryan, Greg Bautzer, Arnold Grant, Gordon Youngman, Sidney Korshak, all of the purchasing group, and representatives of management and Hughes. Grace Goldberg Barber Funeral services were held at Riverside Memorial Chapel here Sunday for Grace Goldberg Barber, wife of Frank C. Barber of the Music Publishers Holding Corp., who died at her home on Friday. For the past 20 years Mrs. Barber had been assistant at the Warner Brothers story department here . ~ — . ■ ^ MOTION PICTURE DAILY. Martin Quigley. Editorj^-Chief an<^ Pub^ Brady, Secretary; James P. Cunningham, News Editor; Herbert V Fec^e ^^"'l^ey AXertising Representative, FI 6-3074; Bruce Tr.nz, Editorial Representative 1 1 the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year. $6 in the Americas ana j>i^ loremii, e c scriptions on the industry for local use with local theatre managers adding comment or mention of current programs ; six, a nation-wide radio and perhaps a television show, by and for the industry, as a whole, with it doing for itself what several prominent commercial sponsored programs have done.