Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1954)

6 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, January 27, 1954 Treasury (Continued from page 1) that these cuts be cancelled. Alter that, Humphrey said, they can see what they have developed in their general study of other excises. Members of the COMPO delegation got the impression that Humphrey expected that any changes in excises other than the April 1 excises would be handled in a separate, later bill. Key members of the House Ways and Means Committee have indicated their idea would be to handle any new excise cuts, including any reduction in the admissions tax, in the same bill in which some of the April 1 excises are extended. Humphrey indicated that he was well aware of the President's promise in the veto of the Mason bill to grant some relief but that he himself could not make any statement until the entire excise study was finished. The industry officials promised to submit fresh information bringing the Treasury up to date on theatre closings, prices, shift of business from subsequent to first runs, and other matters. Members of the COMPO delegation were : Col. H. A. Cole, Pat McGee, Sam Pinanski, Al Lichtman, Walter Reade, Jr., Wilbur Snaper, Al Sindlinger, Alfred Starr, Abram F. Myers and Robert W. Coyne. Honor Red Buttons B'nai B'rith youth organizations in Los Angeles, Schenectady and New York will present a plaque to television star Red Buttons at a meeting of the Cinema Lodge on Feb. 3 at the Hotel Astor here. Buttons is being honored for contributions to youth groups. In Buffalo Publicity Post BUFFALO, Jan. 26.— Phil Todaro, formerly manager of the Mercury Theatre, now being razed, has been named director of advertising" and publicity at the Century Theatre, succeeding Earl Hubbard, resigned. Enjoy the world's most luxurious air service AT NO EXTRA FARE! ZWAs nightly from NEW YORK LOS ANGELES SAN FRANCISCO via Chicago Friendly lounge, superb cuisine, gracious hospitality in new, giant TWA Super Constellations. Sleeper berths at extra cost. See your travel agent or call Trans World Airlines. ACROSS THE U.S. AND OVERSEAS .. . FLY S 'Met' Telecast (Continued from page 1) television production, it was added. The joint statement said that the telecasts will be sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera Guild as a benefit for the Metropolitan Opera Association and a prominent local charity in each city where the telecast is shown. "By virtue of such sponsorships," the statement pointed out, "the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera season will become a great Coast-to-Coast theatre party through closed circuit television on a national basis." Besides the entire opera, the firstnight audience festivities featuring celebrities and fashions will be televised, it was added. Wide Interest Reported Langen Van Norden, president of the Metropolitan Opera Guild, joined Rudolf Bing, general manager of the Metropolitan, in heralding the deal. Van Norden pledged the support of the Guild's 60,000 members and stated that there had already been widespread interest reported to him from local charity organizations which hoped to join in the theatre party plan. It was stated that the plan had been made possible through the generous cooperation of the national and local unions involved, including the American Federation of Musicians, IATSE, and the American Guild of Musical Artists. The Metropolitan management, it was added, in conjunction with TNT's production staff, is planning to use special television lighting in the opera house in order to assure the presentation of a theatre telecast "equal in quality to the stage event." U.K. Attendance (Continued from page 1) case, there had been considerable improvement in the position from the last quarter of 1952 through the first quarter of 1953, when admissions ran between five and six per cent lower than the corresponding quarter a year earlier. The box office gross for the third quarter of 1953 was put bv the Journal at £27,590,000 ($77,252,000), which was 1.4 per cent lower than the corresponding 1952 quarter but 0.7 per cent higher than the second quarter of 1953. The average admission price remained unchanged at 20.3 pence, according to the Journal. The returns cover 4,537 theatres, namely 99 per cent of those known to be operating, and having a seating capacity of 4,179,000. The Journal remarks it is encouragingto-note that the number of British pictures registered in the October to December quarter "rose .to 39. That is the highest number recorded^in a single quarter since the April-June period of 1949. RKO Circuit Won't Fill Grainger Post RKO Theatres' continued economy drive was seen as the reason for the recent resignation of Edmund C. Grainger as head of film buying and booking for the circuit. Duties of the post will be. absorbed by others. An RKO circuit spokesman said that Grainger's resignation is no indication of any large-scale personnel cut. Grainger said that after attending to private affairs for about another month, he would announce new plans. Schine Installing 45 CinemaS copes GLOVERSVILLE, N. Y., Jan. 26. — Forty-five theatres of the Schine circuit will be equipped for CinemaScope by March 7, according to circuit spokesmen. Twenty-four houses, including six in the Albany exchange territory, now have CinemaScope installations. Among them are the Mohawk and Rialto in Amsterdam and the Glove here, where the Schine headquarters are located. Schine Divestiture Hearing Postponed BUFFALO, Jan. 26.— Hearing on a motion by Schine Chain Theatres to extend the time and conditions for disposal of 25 theatres under the company's Federal consent decree has been adjourned by Federal Judge John Knight here until March 1 on consent of the government. The chain, under a 1949 anti-trust judgment, was supposed to have disposed of 39 theatres in three years. Only 14 theatres have been sold, and the motion filed in Federal court here last July 24, asks modification of that order. Appearing at yesterday's Federal court hearing here was trial attorney Joseph E. McDowell of the anti-trust division, Department of Justice. He said the government is conducting an intensive investigation into the theatre holdings of the Schine chain, in preparation for answering the motion. He declined to amplify on the nature of the investigation. U-I Record Reported For 'Glenn Miller' An all-time high for a UniversalInternational picture is reported for "The Glenn Miller Story" now playing at the Miami, Carib and Miracle theatres in Miami, where the world premiere engagement of the film is said to have topped by $11,000 the first week's record business of "The Mississippi Gambler" at the same three houses last January. U. S. Air Force Citation For 'Glenn Miller Story' WASHINGTON, Jan. 26. — A special citation of honor has been presented by the Air Force Association to UniversalInternational for its production of "The Glenn Miller Story." Presented to James Stewart, star of the film, by Gen. Carl A. Spaatz, national director of the AFA, the citation "pays tribute to Universal-International Pictures, producers of 'The Glenn Miller Story' for documenting the career of the late Glenn Miller, Major of the U. S. Air Forces, who gave his life in the service of his country." Claremore Festival Greets 'Boy' Debut CLAREMORE, Okla., Jan. 26.— Warner Brothers' "The Boy from Oklahoma," starring Will Rogers, Jr., and Nancy Olson, opened at the Yale Theatre here tonight. The premiere teed off a 651 -theatre saturation booking campaign in the South and Midwest. National Pre-Selling *«T N 'Money from Home,' " reports i Ed Miller in "Seventeen's" February issue, "Jerry Lewis' latest comic creation is Virgil Yokum, the first man ever to wear bells on his trouser cuffs to warn small animals out of his way. He shares top honors in this comic romp with Honey Talk Nelson — Dean Martin — a gambler who always loses." • " 'Hondo'," reports Phil Hartung in the February issue of "Woman's Home Companion," "is based on a historic incident which took place between the Apache Indians and settlers of the West." Hartung says, "It is a ripsnorting western, and exciting in 3-D." In the same issue there are eyecatching color ads on "The Glenn Miller Story" and "Rob Roy." • "Thanks to the anamorphic lens of Hollywood's new CinemaScope, the age of chivalry is getting a nezv lease on life. It rises to new heights (and widths) in tzvo color movies, 'Knights of The Round Table' and 'Prince Valiant'," reports "Life" now on the ncivsstands. "Both films deal with King Arthur, his famous round table and the doughty knights who sat around it." • Howard Hughes is the cover man on "Look's" current issue. On the eye-arresting cover with Hughes are some of the motion picture stars who performed in his productions. The lead story in the issue written by Stephen White and titled "The Howard Hughes Story" will make interesting reading to a large segment of people in the motion picture industry. Seven pages are devoted to the first installment of the Hughes story, the next installment appearing in the forthcoming issue of "Look." • "Money from Home," "Rob Roy" and "Annapurna" are reviewed in the February issue of "Redbook." Also in the issue are striking color ads on "The Glenn Miller Story" and "Rob Roy." • "Sex is sexier and art is artier in those zvondcrful Italian movies," reports Al Hines in the February issue of "Holiday." In a three-page story Hines says, "There arc six good reasons why America has taken Italian films to its bosom — Anna Magnani, Gina Lollobrigida, Silvana Mangano, Marina J lady, Alba Arnova and Rossana Podesta." "Cosmopolitan's" cover girl on the February issue is Rossana Podesta, an Italian motion picture star. In addition, there are six pages devoted to Italian pictures in the issue. • Both "Rob Roy" and "The Glenn Miller Story" are represented by eyecatching color ads in "McCall's" Febuary issue in addition to a table of contents ad on "Knights of the Round Table." • "Shane" was chosen the best picture of 1953 by "The Commonweal," the Roman Catholic weekly magazine. "The Commonweal" says, "Shane tells an upbeat story that insists that man must stand up and fight for what he believes." WALTER HAAS