Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1952)

2 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, October 9, 1952 Canadian Theatre Receipts Increased 11% Last Year Ottawa, Oct. 8. — Total receipts of Canadian motion picture exhibitors, exclusive of taxes, rose 11 per cent in 1951 to $96,319,580 from 713,357 in the previous year, the government reveals in a preliminary report. Paid admissions increased four per cent from $242,396,679 in 1950 to $252,159,125 last year; 2,180 exhibitors collected $11,887,226 in amusement taxes. Eighty-two drive-in theatres accounted for $3,347,670 of the total receipts, $6,554,572 of the paid admissions and $406,611 of the total amusement taxes. Salaries and wages of regular film theatres reached $17,137,276 last year. Corwin, Wald Confer, No Disclosures Yet Hollywood, Oct. 8.— Sherrill Corwin. arrived here today from New York, where he attended organizational meetings of the Ralph Stolkin group which recently acquired the controlling interest in RKO Pictures, and went into conferences with Jerry Wald, whose contract with the studio expires Dec. 31, and who has been frequently mentioned , as most likely choice of the new management for production head, but it was understood no disclosure of developments of any kind will be made before the weekend. Hutner Promoted to 20th Publicity Aide Meyer Hutner has been named associate publicity manager of 20th Century-Fox, by Edward E. Sullivan, publicity manager. Hutner, who joined 20th C entury-Fox four years ago as newspaper contact, was appointed special events director last year. Before joining the company he was publicity manager for Billy Rose, Kate Smith and Mickey Rooney. Prior to his entry into the publicity field, Hutner had been on the editorial staffs of the New York Journal American and the New York Post, He succeeds Sullivan, who was named publicity manager on Tuesday. Meyer Hutner Personal Mention ELLIS G ARNALL, .president of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers, arrived here yesterday from Atlanta for three days of conferences with SIMPP members. • John R. Patno has been named manager of the New England Circuit's Empress at Norwalk, Conn., replacing John Hassett, resigned. Patno was formerly assistant manager of the circuit's Allyn, Hartford. • John del Valle, former Nat Holt Productions director of publicity, has been named editor of TV Family,^ a new national weekly magazine which will be launched later this month. • Mike Spanagel, formerly vicepresident and assistant general manager of Mid-States Theatres, has joined radio station WCKY_ in Cincinnati as an account executive. • Norman Friedman of M-G-M's art department, became a father for the second time Monday with the birth of a boy, Lawrence Paul, to his wife at Brooklyn Women's Hospital. • William Dullum has been named manager of the Regent Theatre in Ottawa, replacing Henry Marshall, who was transferred to the Capital in Toronto. • Charles Boasberg, RKO Radio NorthSouth division sales manager, is in Toronto and will return here over the weekend. Alva E. , Smith, radio installation supervisor of Westrex Corp., has returned here from a three months trip to Venezuela. • Charles McLeary, formerly with Loew's in Baltimore, is the new manager of Shea's Elmwood, Buffalo. • Boyd Sparrow, manager of the Loew's Warfield in San Francisco, is in Los Angeles this week. • Philip Gerard, Universal Eastern publicity manager, will return here today from Philadelphia. D. C. Collins, Westrex Corp. vicepresident, has returned to New York from Hollywood. • Frank Rosenberg, 20th CenturyFox producer, is in New York from the Coast. Greshler Here on Deal Hollywood, Oct. 8. — Abner Greshler is en route to New York from here for executive huddles to finalize a deal for RKO Radio release of "Emergency Call," British film to which he recently acquired global rights. Greshler revealed before he left here that Freddie Mills, British light-heavyweight champion, is coming to this country to make a series of radio and TV shots as part of an exploitation campaign for this Butcher Productions, Ltd., feature, in which Mills stars. 'Howdy Doody' Radio Show to 'Plug' Films In furtherance of the mutual promotion pact between the Organization of the Motion Picture Industry of New York and the National Broadcasting Co., a one-minute spot announcement listing recommended films for children which are playing in the Metropolitan area will be incorporated in the "Howdy Doody" radio show on WNBC Saturday mornings, OMPI reported here yesterday. OMPI said other program spots currently are in preparation and will be announced as activated. Spring to Address NTFC Wednesday Samuel Spring, attorney and author of the book, "Risks and Rights," will address the membership of the National Television Film Council at its first fall luncheon meeting in the Warwick Hotel on Wednesday. Spring, will discuss "The Laws of Privacy and the Laws of Libel" as they pertain to the telecasting of films, according to Melvin L. Gold, NTFC president. Criterion Holds 'Zero' Edmund Grainger's "One Minute to Zero," starring Robert Mitchum and Ann Blyth, will gross $19,500 in its third week at the Criterion here and will hold for a fourth week, theatre officials announced. The picture will begin its fourth week tomorrow. 'Limelight9 Music On Radio Tonight Charles Chaplin's musical score for "Limelight" will have its radio premiere tonight at 9:05 over station WQXR as the highlight of the first all-Chaplin musical program on the air, entitled "Charles Chaplin — the tramp Who Made Music." The program had been announced earlier for airing -tomorrow night. Excerpts from the scores of "City Lights" and "Modern Times" will be included. "Limelight," a United Artists release, will open on Oct. 23 in continuous performances at the Astor Theatre and on a reserved-seat twice-daily schedule at the Trans-Lux. Advance reserved-seat tickets go on sale today at the Trans-Lux. Priced at $2.40 for all performances except $1.80 for week-day matinees, the film will be shown at 2:30 and 8:30 P.M. daily, with extra matinees at 5:30 P.M. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and special Saturday night 11 :30 showings. MPAA, Distributors Take 3-Day Holiday Most major film company home offices will remain closed on Monday in observance of the Columbus Day holiday. Companies closing include Columbia, M-G-M, Monogram, Paramount, RKO Pictures, RKO Theatres, 20th Century-Fox, United Artists, United Paramount Theatres, Universal-International, Warner and the Motion Picture Association of America. Republic will close at 1.00 P.M. Mail Orders Heavy For Cinerama Here Testifying to the spread of interest in Cinerama, one day's mail received at the box-office of the Broadway Theatre here yesterday, where the process and program is in its exclusive premiere engagement, included more than 1,100 orders for tickets, according to a Cinerama spokesman. The mail came from many sections of the country as well as from nearby. The public response has extended the advance sale indefinitely. It had been set originally for an eight-week minimum. Photoplay Poll Won By Hunter, Nelson Photoplay Magazine's annual "Choose Your Stars" poll has been won by Lori Nelson, 19-year-old Universal-International actress, and Tab Hunter, 21-year-old ice skater who has appeared in only one picture. The winners and the runners-up were honored at a Photoplay reception in Hollywood last week-end at which Tyrone Power officiated. Fred Sammis, vice-president of McFadden Publications, and Photoplay editor Tony Gray attended the event It was disclosed that Miss Nelson triumphed over the nearest actress chosen by a margin of three to one, one of the highest ever made. Past winners of the poll have usually attained Hollywood stardom. In the last two years the winners were Mitzi Gaynor and Anthony Dexter, and Sally Forrest and Howard Keel. List Runners-up Runners-up in the poll for the feminine stars were Ursula Theiss, Elaine Stewart, Hildegarde Neff, Dawn Addams, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Barbara Ruick, Joan Taylor, Helene Stanley, Joan Rice and Beverly Michaels. Male runners-up were Arthur Franz, Oskar Werner, Johnny Stewart, Robert Horton, Keith Andes, Michael Moore, Gene Barry, John Forsyth, Rusty Tamblyn and Dean Miller. Haber RCA Victor Publicity Director Camden, N. J., Oct. 8. — Julius Haber has been appointed director of public relations for the Victor Division of RCA, effective Nov. 1, C. M. Odorizzi, operating vice-president of the division announced. Haber, whose career has been in public relations, publicity and advertising, joined RCA in 1922. He succeeds James M. Toney who has been appointed director of consumer products distribution. Haber is now serving as director of advertising and sales promotion for RCA Technical Products. He has served as publicity chairman for the Institute of Radio Engineers, the Radio Club of America, and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. MOTION PICTURE DAILY. Martin Ouigley. 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; 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, YuccaVine Building, William R. Weaver, Editor. Chicago Bureau, 120 South LaSalle Street, Urben Farley Advertising Representative, FI 6-3074; Bruce Trinz, Editorial Representative, 11 North Clark Street, FR-2-2843. Washington, J. A. Otten, National Press Club, Washington D. C. London Bureau, 4 Golden Sq., London WI; Hope Burnup, Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor; cable address, "Quigpubco, London." Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald; Better Theatres and Theatre Sales, each published 13 times a year as a section of Motion Picture Herald; International Motion Picture Almanac; Fame. Entered as second-class matter, Sept. 21, 1938, at the post office at New York. N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year. $6 in the Americas and $12 foreign; single copies. 10c