Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1952)

Thursday, October 9, 1952 Motion Picture Daily 5 14 Reissue Duals Set by Realart Hollywood, Oct. 8.— The first in a series of 14 re-issue combinations for 1953 has been announced here by Jack Broker, president of Realart Pictures. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez are featured in the initial program, which consists of "Lucy Goes Wild" and "Cuban Pete." Both were released originally by Universal. The other combinations include: "Inside Job" and "Mug Town"; "The Body Vanishes" and "Calling Dr. Death"; "When Johny Comes Marching Home" and "Private Buckeroo" ; "Dark Streets of Cairo" and "Chinatown Squad"; "Tiger Island" and "Strange Conquest" ; "Song of the Sarong" and "Rhythm of the Islands. Fear TV Will Injure Theatres in Portland Portland, Ore., Oct. 8.— Predictions that 15 of Portlands 50 theatres will be closed by television competition and values of the others will be considerably lowered are reflected in figures submitted by Oregon s assessors. Kermit M. Carson, chief deputy assessor for Multnomah County, made these predictions m commenting at the 40th annual assessors' convention on assessment problems in the state's largest county. He said the theatres which will be hardest hit will be those in the suburbs. Also, TV competition in two or three years will likely bring a 20 per cent depreciation in the value of the better downtown theatres, he said. Portland theatre owners agreed with Carson's forecast and explained that suburban theatres will be hardest hit because "their customers are the people who will be looking at TV." Says TV Does Not Keep People Home London, Oct. 8. — "Television's power to keep people at home is much less than has sometimes been suggested," the artnual report of British Broadcasting Corp. asserts. Discussing the increase in time devoted to home viewing on this side, the report says: "Most of this time, it is believed, was found by rearranging home life. Comparatively _ little of it came from reducing activities outside the home." The BBC report noted that television reception licenses almost doubled in the past year— from 764,000 to 1,457,000, but at the same time there was a slight decline in the extent to which Britons listened to sound broadcasts. TV Spurring (Continued from page 1) Drive-in Clinic at\ Arbitration Mich. Allied Meet {Cmtinued jrom page 1} pointed out, but also opposition in old and new forms. "The public will put its money down for whatever interests it, whether it's Bingo, night baseball, stock car races or anything else," he said. "We have survived them all and we will survive television." He reviewed the effect of TV in the two Canadian test cities, Windsor and Chatham, reporting that business was down until installment payments on TV sets had been completed, after which it returned to something approaching the pre-TV level. The fact that Canada had not been invaded rapidly by TV made it possible to utilize the experience of U. S. operators with it. "We need a new approach to 'Showmanship,' " Taylor contended, advising that the public ought to be reminded frequently of how little an evening's film entertainment cost, the average admission being 50 cents. All other forms of entertainment were higher and even a TV set costs as much to maintain as the average yearly expenditures on films, he stated. "Any business that doesn't meet its opposition goes out," he warned. "Restaurants, shoe stores and others meet it. It all boils down to this : Give good entertainment, better service and more comfort and keep telling the public about them. You may not always pack your theatre but you'll stay in business and progress as well," Taylor concluded. Detroit, Oct. 8. — A special drivein theatre program has been arranged by Allied Theatres of Michigan during its annual convention to be held at the Tuller Hotel, Oct. 20-22. Special displays will be set up in the Variety clubrooms. A chartered bus will leave Oct. 22 with Ted Rogvoy and several exhibitors, for the Bel-Air Drive-in Theatre operated by Charles Komer and Adolph and Irving Goldberg, of Community Theatres. Rogvoy, theatre architect, will lead a panel discussion on the grounds of the drive-in. A landscape artist, sound man, plumber and a concessionair will be on hand to answer questions. The group will be guests of the Goldbergs and Komer. The delegates to the convention will hear addresses by Wilbur Snaper, national Allied president; Leon Bamberger, RKO Radio public relations, director; Abram Myers, Allied general counsel; Sam Pinanski, COMPO co-chairman ; Trueman Rembusch, president of Allied of Indiana; Allen Johnson, Michigan Allied's national representative, and Lawrence Griffin of Manton, Mich. Rogers Campaign (Continued from page 1) Mutual Rights to Lippert Franchiser San Francisco, Oct. 8— An agreement has been concluded between Mutual Productions of the West, headed by Irving Levin, and Al Grubstick, the Robert Lippert franchise holder in San Francisco, for Grubstick to handle the sales and distribution of Mutual features in the San Francisco territoryPictures now in release which Grubstick will handle include "Models, Inc." and "Nightmare in Red China." distributor attorneys, will be the one Myers will submit to the Allied national convention in Chicago, Nov. 1719. It is likely that the Theatre Owners of America board, and the boards of the Independent Theatre Owners Association of New York, Metropolitan Motion Picture Theatres Association and Western Theatre Owners, will act on the distributor-approved draft at meetings soon. "Before an arbitration system is finally set up," Johnston reminded, "it of course must be approved by the court and the Department of Justice as well as by the exhibitor organizations and the boards of directors of each of the participating distributor companies." Johnston said also that "final agreement on arrangements for financing the system await further discussions with exhibitor representatives." In Johnston's opinion the distributors' favorable action on the draft meant that "setting up of an industry arbitration system moved a major step forward." He said approval of the terms of the draft by the distributors "is in line with exhibitor requests for such action." Circuit, 31 additional Southern houses have joined the campaign. In addition, more than 100 of Rowley United theatres, Dallas, have enlisted. This brings the Lone Star State participation to nearly 300 theatres, including Interstate. About 50 Indiana theatres have joined the collection project, according to Howard Rutherford, Loew's manager in Indianapolis. Among the latter city's downtown houses enrolled are the Indiana, Circle, Lyric and Keith's of the Greater Indianapolis Amusement Co. Cantor Amusement's four neighborhood-houses signed up with the M. Marcus circuit. Marc J. Wolf, president of Y. & W. Management Co., gave approval for his 31 houses in Northern Indiana. Cox Signs Pact (Continued from page 1) UK to Make Films For Canadian TV London, Oct. 8.— High Definition Films will start production of pictures for Canadian television use as soon as the Highbury studio here is ready, Norman Collins, company chief, said on his return from Canada where he conferred with Davidson Duncan, chairman of Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Collins said there is a big market for TV films in Canada because distances there are such that radio links are not practicable and film accordingly is the answer. However, he said, the film programs must be offered at economic prices. Doug fair to Cull Museum Footage Hollywood, Oct. 8. ■ Dougfair Corp. has disclosed an arrangement with the American Museum of Natural History, New York, under which Douglas Fairbanks' staff will comb the 2,000,000 feet of film acanired bv the museum over the past 30 years, selecting material for theatre and other use. Fairbanks also will collaborate with the museum in planning future expeditions. Dual Lesser' s (Red Sea* and 'Tarzan' Sol Lesser's new documentary, "Under the Red Sea" will be combined with the producer's "Tarzan's Savage Furv" in dual-run houses, Robert Mochrie, RKO Radio sales vice-president, announced. "Tarzan's Savage Fury" was released last spring to single-run houses, but has been held up for double-bill theatres pending preparation of "Under the Red Sea." Mexican Ruling Saves Heavy Taxes Mexico City, Oct. 8. — American and Mexican distributors, headed by Warner Brothers, won from the Federal Supreme Court a decision that it is estimated will save them $396,000 yearly in taxes. The distributors appealed to the court against the ruling of the Ministry of Finance that they must be included for taxation purposes among those subject to the Mercantile Incomes Law. The court agreed with the distributors that the Ministry had erred in thus classifying them as they are commercial not industrial enterprises. The law specifies that it covers industrialists only. company therefore should elect to terminate the pact, he would receive $400 weekly for two years commencing with the date of termination. Under the agreement, _ Cox is not bared from participating in any bonus or stock option plans the company may put into effect. Tie-up Lectures Set For AM PA Tonight This evening's roster of lecturers at the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers' class in showmanship at the Woodstock Hotel here will include Lou Brown, director of advertisingpublicity for the Loew Poli Theatres in Connecticut and Massachusetts; Lige Brien, United Artists' national director of special events, and Harry K. McWilliams, Columbia Pictures' exploitation manager and AM PA president. The three will discuss motion picture tie-ups. Weinberg Titles 3 New Foreign Films Herman G. Weinberg has completed the English titles for three new European films, Rossellini's "Flowers of St. Francis," filmed in Italy, and two French pictures, "Forbidden _ Games," grand prize winner of this vear's Venice Film Festival, and "Ladies Hair-Dresser," starring Fernandel. "Flowers of St. Francis" is a Joseph Burstyn release. Columbia Winner Here A. P. Rose, Columbia Pictures International Corp. manager in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, has arrived in New York as the winner of the British Isles division of the recent "Round-theWorld" sales drive. Rose, accompanied by his w^e> is the second of the International division winners to take advantage of his prize of a trip to a foreign country. TO A 16mm. Poll Starts Theatre Owners of America bulletins polling member units on the question whether the organization should or should not seek defendant status in the government's 16mm. anti-trust suit have been mailed. Dick Pitts, TOA administrative assistant, reported here. The government's complaint labeled TOA a "co-conspirator" but not a defendant.