Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1953)

2 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, December 29, 1953 Personal Mention DON HARTMAN, Paramount production head, is in New York from Hollywood. Eewin G. Neumann, district manager in Connecticut for Interstate Theatres, has been reelected a vicepresident of the Woodstock Agricultural Society. • E. S. Gregg, Westrex Corp. vicepresident and general manager, and R. O. Strock, commercial engineering manager, have returned to New York from Hollywood. • F. J. A. McCarthy, Universal Pictures Southern and Canadian sales manager, left here yesterday for Miami. James Boyle returned to New York yesterday from New Orleans, where he worked on the holiday opening of "Miss Sadie Thompson." • James Sarno, of the Paramount Pictures studio publicity department, will leave New York tomorrow for Rome. • Yasuo Nakajima, director and business manager of Eiga Haikyo Co., Ltd., Japanese distributors, has arrived in Hollywood from New York. • Howard Stubbins, co-franchise owner of the Allied Artists West Coast exchanges, has left Los Angeles with Mrs. Stubbins for Phoenix. Abe Goodman, 20th Century-Fox advertising manager, is in Florida from New York. Helen Morgan, of Brenon and Morgan Associates, publicists, is in Hollywood from New York. Frank Schilcken has been reelected business agent of Local No. 219, IATSE, of Minneapolis. RKO Radio Gets 5th Independent Film RKO Radio Pictures has signed a distribution deal with Robert Stillman Productions for the release of "The Americano," making the fifth film in as many weeks to be placed on RKO's 1954 agenda from independent producers. Other films which have been listed for distribution are : "The Girl Rush," starring Rosalind Russell for Frederick Brisson's Independent Artists ; "Desperate Men," co-starring John Payne-Lizabeth Scott for Benedict Bogeaus ; "Killers from Space," featuring Peter Graves and Betty Bestar for W. Lee Wilder, and "Saint's Girl Friday," starring Louis Hayward and Naomi Chance for Julian Lesser. Ursula Thiess, German star under contract to RKO, will play the feminine lead in "The Americano," which stars Glenn Ford, Arthur Kennedy and Cesar Romero. Ampex Is Marketing Low-Cost, 3-Channel Stereo Sound System Designed primarily for theatres with seating capacities up to 1,500 seats, a three-channel stereophonic sound system has been developed by the Ampex Corp. of Redwood City, Calif. The system will sell for $3,995. This was disclosed here yesterday by Spyros S. Skouras, of the Circuit Construction Corp., who will serve as sales manager for the system. At a trade press conference yesterday, Skouras . said that each channel has a 30-watt amperage and will be known as the Ampex Master Series. Ampex also has two other stereophonic sound systems, the "deluxe" and "super" for larger houses. In addition to the low price for the three-channel system, Skouras pointed out that other advantages were a guarantee against sound failure and its ability to channel sound through one or two of the other amplifiers in the event of a failure in one. Greater Safety Claimed According, to Skouras and Ross Snyder, engineer for Ampex, the Master Series provides more safety features than are employed in any fourchannel system. It was claimed that if a failure should occur in one or two of the power amplifiers or one or two of the pre-amplifiers, none of the three sound tracks will be lost because the three sound tracks will be mixed into the remaining one or two power amplifiers or one or two of the pre-amplifiers which will carry all three sound tracks to the stage speaker. Likewise, it was stated, if one or even two of the stage speakers should fail, again the emergency device provides that all sound is channeled through the remaining speaker. If a four channel is desired, it was explained, it can be obtained for between $200 and $300. First deliveries on current orders for the Master Series will be made on Jan. 15 and full deliveries are promised on or after Feb. 1. Approximately 40 theatres of the Skouras circuit will be equipped with the Ampex system by Jan. 15. Approximately 100 other houses around the country have ordered the Ampex systems. Snyder said that the design of the Master series had been engineered with the purpose of simplifying as many complicated electronic parts as possible and to derive greater efficiency from the component parts of the system. Say Senator Gillette Seeks Trade Plaints DES MOINES, Dec. 28.— Al Myrick of Iowa-Nebraska Allied has been requested by Sen. Guy M. Gillette of Iowa, member of the Senate Small Business Committee, to forward exhibitors' complaints of unfair trade practices to him for study by the committee. Sen. Gillette and other members of the committee were represented as being concerned about reports of many small exhibitors continuing to be faced with possible business extinction. Refuse Rate Increase To Ohio Truckers COLUMBUS, Dec. 28.— Three film truckers in the Cleveland area were denied boosts in rates by the Ohio Public Utilities Commission which suspended proposed increases after protests came from the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio. The increased rates were to have become effective Dec. 25. The rate increases were requested by Film Transit Co., Leonard Albrecht and E. S. Johnson. If the firms object to the rate increase suspension, they will be required to justify the increases. The ITOO also has petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission for similar action. K.C. Services Today For F. D. Snow of <IA' KANSAS CITY, Dec. 28. — Felix D. Snow, 66, third vice-president of the IATSE, died Friday afternoon at a hospital here, following a recent heart attack. He had been business agent of Stage Employes Local No. 31, Kansas City, since '\1925, and a member of the general executive board of the International since 1940. He had helped organize many unions throughout the Midwest and traveled constantly as an IATSE field man in that territory until he was taken ill. Services will be held at Freeman's Funeral Parlor, Kansas City, tomorrow. His widow survives . Granada Theatres Reports '53 Profit LONDON, Dec. 28.— Granada Theatres, Ltd., reported net profit for the year ended last Sept. 30 of £72,572 ($203,200), compared with a net profit for the preceding year of £72,167. After payment of dividends on preference shares the previous year's dividend of five per cent on the ordinaries was continued. Weitman Relative Killed Funeral services for Captain Dudley Newstein, 30, a brother-in-law of Robert M. Weitman, vice-president of American Broadcasting Paramount Theatres, will be held here this afternoon at Midwood Funeral Home. Capt. Newstein, a doctor in the U. S. Army, was killed in a highway accident while traveling from Fort Campbell, Ky., where he was stationed. He is survived by his widow, Bernice, and a son. Mills Services Today Funeral services will be held today in White Plains for Mrs. Laura Mills, wife of Jesse T. Mills, comptroller of Loew's, Inc., who died Saturday following a heart attack while visiting their daughter in Newburgh, N. Y. Burial will take place at Chestertown, N. Y. Nat Cohen Planning Eight Co-Production Deals in the U. S. Eight co-production deals between American producers and Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors of England are planned for 1954, Nat Cohen, executive of the latter company, said here yesterday. Cohen arrived over the weekend from London. "Dangerous Journey," recently completed, and "The Sleeping Tiger," which is now in production, are coproduction deals with Robert Goldstein. Cohen said he planned to go to Hollywood on Thursday to negotiate for acting talent and to discuss distribution deals for "Dangerous Journey" and "The Sleeping Tiger." The former picture stars William Lundigan and the latter lias Alexis Smith, Alexander Knox and Dirk Bogarde in the top roles. Cohen also plans to discuss joint production projects with Hollywood producers during his stay on the West Coast. 2nd Cinerama in Work "The Thrill of Your Life," Cinerama's second film, to be produced by Louis deRochemont, will go into work shortly, with release scheduled for May, 1. Robert L. Bendick has been signed as director of the European episodes of the drama. He will fly to Paris Sunday to join deRochemont. Variety Party A Sellout The New Year's Eve party and reception to be held for the benefit of the New York Variety Foundation to Combat Epilepsy in the Sert Room of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is a complete sellout, reports Charles Reed Jones, publicist for the event. 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