Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1954)

Friday, July 2, 1954 Motion Picture Daily 3 FCC Dropping Study of Film Interests in TV WASHINGTON, July L — The Ftderal Communications Commission has abandoned plans to compile a complete list of all motion picture interests in television stations. The Commission had started work on a project to collect the names of all film industry corporations and individuals with television station licenses and applications. However, the division working on the project has lost several of its staff members, and the project has been abandoned. Report Matty Fox Buys New Novel Matthew Fox interests were reported yesterday from Toronto to have purchased the screen rights to a novel by Igor Gouzenko titled "The Fall of a Titan" for $100,000. Gouzenko is the former code clerk of the Soviet Embassy in Canada who exposed a Russian spy ring. His story is said to be based in part on the life of the Russian poet, Maxim Gorki. Whether Fox plans to produce the picture could not be learned yesterday. Fox is on the Coast where he Vvfill be married this weekend. Proclaim 'Circus Day' For *Show' Opening^ BARABOO, Wis., July 1.— In tribute to the re-release world premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show On Earth," Governor Walter J. Kohler of Wisconsin has issued_ a proclamation naming Saturday "Wisconsin Circus Day." The premiere will be held at Baraboo's Ringling Theatre amid celebrations marked by parades, decorated thoroughfares and ceremonies joined in by city officials, Chamber of Commerce leaders and other prominent Baraboo citizens. All proceeds of the premiere performance at the theatre managed by Pershing Moyle will go to the Wisconsin State Historical Society to further the establishment and maintenance of the Baraboo Circus World Museum, Inc. One Film Placed in As Legion Calls 9 'A' The Swedish film, "One Summer of Happiness," has been placed in Class C by the National Legion of Decency in its current listing. The remaining nine productions reveiwed have all been placed in Class A, five in Section 1 and four in Section 2. In Section 1 are "Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters," "Gog," "The Immortal City," "Them" and "The Vanishing Prairie." The four films in Section 2 are "Princess of the Nile," "Pushover," "Return to Treasure Island" and "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." Aaronoff Joins 'U* Publicity Staff Here Ed Aaronoff, motion picture and independent press representative for the past 19 years, will join the home office publicity department of Universal Pictures here under Philip Gerard, Eastern publicity manager on Tuesday, replacing Burt Hirschfeld who has resigned, it was announced by Charles Simonelli, Eastern advertising and publicity department manager. Aaronoff started as a press representative with the George D. Lottman office and for seven years he was a member of the home office publicity staff of Warner Brothers. 4,306 in Services Guests of Studios HOLLYWOOD, July L — Richard Russell, chairman of Los Angeles area, USO, today disclosed that the Hollywood studios, through cooperation of the Association of Motion Picture Producers, were hosts to 4,306 service men and women, on conducted tours, from June 1953 through May 1954. Songwriter Sues WB Over *Jazz Singer' Songwriter Leo Russotto filed suit in Federal Court here yesterday against Warner Brothers and Stanley Warner Corp. charging that his new version of the song "Kol Nidre" was used without consent in the Warner Brothers production, "The Jazz Singer." The action seeks an injunction, damages sustained and an accounting of the picture's profits. Russotto claims that he wrote the version, which is sung in the film, before 1946. CinemaScope Has Its Albany Drive-In Bow ALBANY, July 1. — Hathaway's Drive-in, first in the Albany exchange district to show CinemaScope, charged $1 for "The Robe." "Perils of the jungle" was the co-feature. There was no charge for children under 12. F. Chase Hathaway advertised that it would be the only show at advanced price this season. Murrow Visits M & L Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis will be interviewed tonight on the Edward R. Murrow "Person to Person" CBS Television program at 10:30 P.M., E.D.T. Murrow will "visit" the boys and their families at home on the west coast. 169 'Demetrius' Dates One hundred-and-sixty-nine domestic playdates have been set for "Demetrius and the Gladiators" in Cinema Scope and Technicolor through the erd of July, 20th Century-Fox disclosed. The Biblical film will debut in 80 key theatres this month. 'Apache' in Chi. Has $6,100 Opening Day "Apache," Technicolor adventure film starring Burt Lancaster and Jean Peters, broke a lO-year opening-day box office record at the Roosevelt Theatre in Chicago yesterday grossing $6,100 in its world premiere engagement, William J. Heineman, vicepresident in charge of distribution for United Artists announced. In regional premieres at Loew's Ohio Theatre in Columbus and Loew's Majestic in Bridgeport, "Apache" duplicated its Chicago performance at the box office with high grosses, Heineman said. S.F. Debut Launches 'Francis' Openings "Francis Joins the Wacs," Universal-International's newest "Francis" comedy starring Donald O'Connor, Julia Adams, Chill Wills and Mamie Van Doren, will have its world premiere at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco on Wednesday, launching more than 100 dates in the San Francisco territory as part of a series of territorial saturation openings. A second territorial saturation will be held in the South starting July 25 at the Melba Theatre in Birmingham and the Ritz in Anniston, Ala. Nagata Lauds Warner Aid to Japan Industry BURBANK, Calif., July 1.— The contributions of Jack L. Warner to the anti-Communist film interests of Japan were recited here yesterday by Masaichi Nagata, president of the Federation of Motion Picture Producers of Southeast Asia at a film industry luncheon sponsored by the Motion Picture Association. Nagata gave personal thanks to V\Aarner Brothers Pictures, Inc. and its executive producer : "My film company, Daiei, has enjoyed great success of late in winning Film Festival Awards and the respect of the nonCommunist world," Nagata said. "This would have been impossible if the Warner studio had not given us its unselfish support." He related how Warner had unselfishly turned over his laboratory and other technical facilities to a group of scientists from Daiei who had come to America in 1951 in search of knowledge. At the luncheon, which was arranged by the MPAA International Committee, Nagata introduced his associates who also wished to pay tribute : Kenzi Mizoguchi, president of the Film Directors A.ssociation ; Kazuo Miya Gawa, Daiei chief cameraman ; Wuki Hiko Tamura, foreign publicity director of Daiei. 30 'Carnival' Dates King Brothers "Carnival Story" opens in more than 30 New York and Brooklyn houses of the RKO Theatre chain on July 7. 'Holy GraiV Second Release from Arias With its first release in distribution in key areas, Arias Quality Pictures announces that its second film, "The Holy Grail," formerly titled "Parsifal," will be ready for release by July 15. Starring Ludmilla Tcherina, "The Holy Grail," in French with English titles, is the narrative of the search for the Holy Grail by the knights of the Sixth Century. Headed by Henry R. Arias, Leo Abrams and Myer P. Beck, the firm's first release was Josef von Sternberg's "Ana-ta-Han." Drive-In Operator Loses Zoning Case PHILADELPHIA, July 1.— The Bucks County Common Pleas Court has upheld the Lakefield Board of Supervisors' judgment against drivein operator Robert H. Baronoff in a case described as "without precedent." Two acres of Baronoff's $90,000 Morrisville Drive-In Theatre are in the residentially zoned section of Lakeviile and the township has refused him permission to operate. Baronoff now has 20 days to file exceptions. Sees ^Scope^ S-D Combined (Continued from page 1) next four years and has to complete one film for RKO," he added. Budgets have ranged on the past Wayne-Fellows productions from $600,000 to $1,400,000, Fellows ' said. "Under the arrangements with Warners, we have a right to go 10 per cent over the set budget for a particular film and no limitations in computing one, he stated. Fellows also stated that filming pictures in foreign locales is about on a par with costs on U. S. production. "The public has 'been accustomed to authentic backgrounds and if we were to try to reproduce some foreign lo cales, the cost would be exorbitant. The cost in transportation of a whole company to the locale is on a par if we tried to build a set here," he said. The producer also commented on CinemaScope, saying that "you do not see any black-and-white films produced in that medium because of the grain which would show up in the development of negatives." When asked about the change in name, from Wayne-Fellows Productions to Batjac Productions, Fellows said "that Wayne does not want to be connected with pictures which he is not in." 'Student Prince' At New Phila, Theatre PHILADLEPH.IA, July 1. — The V'king, a new first run house, had its maiden program tonight, a special preview of "The Student Prince," for the benefit of United Service Clubs. The seating capacity of the new theatre is 991 and it boasts a 57 foot wide screen. It was built under the roof of the old Aldine theatre and designed by artist William H. Lee. Jack Warner Signs Two HOLLYWOOD, July 1.— Jack L. Warner has assigned Meryyn LeRoy to direct Warner Brothers first Cinerama production, "Lewis and Clark." Warner also signed William, Powell for a role in "Mister Roberts," a CinemaScope film. '^Susan' Trade Shows RKO's "Susan Slept Here" will be trade shown in all exchanges on July 7. The Technicolor comedy goes into general release on July 24, with the world premiere set for the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco on July 14.