Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1954)

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2 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, February 4, 1954 Personal Mention HERMAN ROBBINS, National Screen Service president, has returned to New York from a Southern vacation. • Spyros P. Skouras, president of 20th Century-Fox, left here by plane yesterday for Europe. • Jerry Pickman, Paramount Pictures vice-president in charge of advertising-publicity, will return to New York today from Hollywood. • Jeanne Katz and Alyce Schwetz, of the M-G-M home office print department, will be married on Feb. 20 and Feb. 14, respectively, to non-members of the industry. Mervin Houser, Dave Cantor and Al Stern of RKO Radio, and David Golding and Martin Davis of Samuel Goldwyn Prod., will return here today from Washington. • William Dozier, executive vicepresident of Cornwall Prod., tomorrow will address the students of the Columbia University School of Dramatic Arts. • ' Howard G. Minsky, Paramount Mid-East division manager, has returned to Philadelphia from New York. • E. O. Wilschke, operating manager,, of Altec Service Corp., has returned to duty after recuperating from illness. • John L. Johns has been named special M-G-M press representative in the Pittsburgh-Cleveland area. He replaces Al Golin, resigned. • Robert Palmer, Universal Pictures talent executive, will arrive here today from the Coast. • Stanley Kramer will leave New York today for a vacation in the Bahamas. • Bob Lynch, M-G-M Philadelphia district manager, has returned there from New York. • C. Bruce Newbery, Republic Pictures director of sales, has returned to New York from the Coast. • Edwin H. Knopf, M-G-M producer, will return to Hollywood from New York at the weekend. • Sam Forgotson, advertising production manager for M-G-M has returned here from a winter vacation. George Marshall has returned to Hollywood from New York. George J. Schaefer is in Hollywood from New York. Fred Frank, writer, has arrived in New York from Hollywood. Ilya Lopert, president of . Lopert Films, is in London from New York. Fifth Amendment In 'Per Cent' Case GREENSBORO, N. C, Feb. 3.— An attempt by an exhibitor named in six percentage fraud actions to invoke the Fifth Amendment by refusing to comply with a subpoena directing him to produce theatre record books was unsuccessful in the Federal Court here. Attorneys for James Jesse Booth, who operates houses in Walnut Cove and King, N. C, had moved to limit the scope of the deposition so the defendant exhibitor would not be required to answer questions or produce records which "would tend to incriminate" him. The court order ruled that the defendant could be examined on questions concerning gross receipts, and that Booth must produce for inspection necessary ticket book records. However, the court stated that the defendant could not be examined in relation to any reports made to the State or Federal tax authorities. UJA Cabinet Posts To Fabian, Cantor Simon H. Fabian, president of Cinerama and Stanley-Warner Corp., and Eddie Cantor have been named to the 1954 national campaign cabinet of the United Jewish Appeal by Edward M. Warburg, UJA general chairman. Fabian was appointed to the cabinet for the second successive time. Cantor will serve for his fifth term. The cabinet, composed of 43 business and civic leaders in the United States, will plan the 1954 UJA drive to raise $120,000,000. Academy Prepares Historical Film Copy At the request of the U. S. State Department, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has prepared a copy of the recently previewed historical paper film collection which will be presented to the Brazilian government at the International Film Festival in Sao Paulo this month, it was announced by Charles Brackett. The special film, prepared by Primrose Productions, covers events photographed at the turn of the century. The United States presented the earliest known motion pictures which the Academy and the Library of Congress had successfully reclaimed from the paper strips. Present Award to 'Robe' Here Today An award from the "Christian Herald" naming "The Robe," in CinemaScope, the best religious film of 1953 will be presented here today to 20th Century-Fox at a luncheon at the company's home office. To Show Crosby Film Forty-five New York metropolitan area first-run neighborhood theatres on Feb. 10 will open Paramount's "Little Boy Lost." Thirty-one of the theatres are Loew's houses. Contributions Lag, So Theatre Closes COLUMBUS, Feb. 3.— Since 1952 the Little Theatre here has protested against the Federal amusement tax by not charging admission to its films. Instead, patrons were expected to drop contributions in a fishbowl at the exit. Now the 321-seat house has closed. Gifts failed to meet expenses. Industry Dividends Off 17% in 1953 WASHINGTON, Feb. 3. — Publicly-reported cash dividends of film companies in 1953 were more than 17 per cent below the 1952 totals, according to preliminary estimates of the Commerce Department. The Department said that its preliminary total for 1953 dividend payments was $21,405,000, compared with a final 1952 total of $25,946,000. In many vears, the final total is substantially higher than the preliminary total, but last year the final figure was almost $2,000,000 lower than the preliminary figure. Commerce officials usually figure that publicly-reported dividend payments are about two-thirds of total payments. The figures include firms in both production and exhibition. Payments in December of last year were $4,886,000, compared to $4,437,000 in December, 1952, Commerce said. Md. Censors Contend Films 4Not Improved' BALTIMORE, Feb. 3.— The annual report of the Maryland State Board of Motion Picture Censors states "no improvement in the moral quality of films submitted during the fiscal year 1952-53 was noted by the censor board." Many films, according to the report, "emphasized crime and marital infidelity, seduction and betrayal of girls, illicit love, gangster and underworld life." Activities of the censor board during the fiscal year included the banning of a series of clinical reels out of the 2,172 original features and shorts viewed, and the inspection of 4,547 theatres to check on the compliance of board orders. The censors viewed approximately 1,280 miles of original film and passed nearly 10,000 miles of duplicate film. Moyer Oregon Chain Acquires Another PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 3. — Moyer Theatres has purchased the Stillwell Theatre here from A. H. Zahders and Mrs. Rose C. Moyer, extending its ownership to four indoor and two drive-in operations. The chain is headed by Tom, Harry F. and Larry Moyer, sons of the late theatre founder, Harry' H. Moyer. Reed Seeks Report By D. of J. Group On Anti-Trust Bills WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.— House Judiciary Committee Chairman Reed (R., 111.) said he had asked the Attorney General's special anti-trust study commission to submit a report on two pending anti-trust bills of major interest to the film industry. The judiciary committee will not act on the bills until it receives these reports, Reed said. He indicated he hoped the reports would be forthcoming in two to three weeks. One bill would give Federal courts discretion to award less than treble damages in private anti-trust suits. The other bill would enact a uniform five-year Federal statute of limitations on these suits. A judiciary subcommittee has favorably reported the latter bill to the full committee. Subcommittee members split evenly on the discretionary damages bill, and sent it to the full committee without recommendation. The Justice Department has endorsed the statute of limitations bill and has declared it would go along with the discretionary damages bill if treble damages were kept mandatory in cases of "wilful violations." The Attorney General's special commission is headed by anti-trust division chief Stanley Barnes and Michigan law school professor W. Chesterfield Oppenheim. Quigley, Ernst Argue Code on WMCA Mon. Martin Quigley will defend the industry's Production Code and Morris Ernst will argue for its abolition on the radio program, "Report to the People" on station WMCA, New York, next Monday, 9 :30-10 :00 P. M. Ernst, who is general counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union, is an opponent of all forms of censorship. The program, to be presented by transcription, will be moderated by Mrs. Dorothy Dunbar Bromley, conductor of the weekly series. 5 Films Completed; Only Two Started HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 3.— Production slumped three notches last week as five pictures were completed and only two begun. U-I started shooting "This Island Earth" and "Bengal Rifles." Both are in Technicolor. Completed were the "Human Beast" and "Waterfront," Columbia ; "Susan Slept Here," Technicolor, RKO; "Tobor," Dudley Prod., Republic ; and "Black Shield of Falworth," CinemaScope and Technicolor, U-I. Record Miami Gross Set By 'Miller' MIAMI, Feb. 3.— "The Glenn Miller Story" is reported by U-I to have grossed $93,000 during its first two weeks at the Miami, Carib and Miracle theatres here. According to Universal, the twoweek total establishes a new record for a premiere engagement at the three theatres. MOTION PICTURE DMLY Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane. Editor; Terry Ramsaye, Consulting Editor. Published daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, by Ouigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue. Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: ' Ouigpubco, New York" Martin Quigley. President; Martin Quiglev, Jr.. Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan. Vice-President and Treasurer; Raymond Levy. Vice-President; Leo J. Brady, Secretary Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; Gus H. Fausel, Production Manager; Hollywood Bureau, YuccaVine Building, William R. Weaver Editor Hollywood 7-2145 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 "Ouigpubco, London." Other Ouigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald; Better Theatres and Theatre Sales, each published 13 times a year as a section of Motion Picture Herald; Motion Picture and Television Almanac; Fame. Entered as second-class matter, Sept. 21, 1938. at the post oftice 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