Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1954)

MOTION PICTURE VOL. 76. NO. 9 NEW YORK, U. S. A., WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1954 TEN CENTS Cites Product Lag in Brita in Clearances Attacked Hints New 'Jackson Park^ Case by New Jersey Allied Allied Theatre Owners of New Jersey may take legal action, if necessary, and possibly enlist the aid of the Department of Justice in order to end the unconscionable holdup of pictures and the shortage of prints," Wilbur Snaper, president of the unit, stated here yesterday. The Jersey Allied unit additionally named a committee, Lee Newbury, Sidney Stern and Irving Dollinger, to plan campaigns whereby exhibitors will be able to have more films available to them and have more prints, Snaper said. "One of these campaigns may include going to the public for assistance in the same fashion as the campaign against taxes," he said. Dollinger, the local unit's national director, will take these to the National Allied board meeting, Aug. 2324, at White Sulphur Springs. New Jersey Allied will "insist" on action, and is free thereafter to take its own action, Snaper stressed. He also stressed that "Legal steps are contemplated along the lines of the Jackson Park case." This would mean a localized attack on clearance, to ease a situation which was the basis of the meeting in New York. It might be taken by the local unit, or because of better opportunity and depending on the force of precedence in law, might be taken elsewhere, Snaper commented. "Our membership is very bitter," Snaper said. "Any benefits they might have gotten from the Congressional action, have been lost. The product {Continued on page 2) By FRANCIS BACKILMAN The American product shortage is currently being felt in Europe and Britain, according to Leonard H. Goldenson, president of American B r o a dcastingParamount Theatres, who returned here on the Queen Elizabeth yesterday after a one month tour of nine cities throughout the European continent. During the trip, Goldenson conferred with European motion picture studio heads in an effort to stimulate the release of European made films in this country. Although he didn't acquire any {Continued on page 4) L. Goldenson 'On the Waterfront 99 {Columbia) THE adjective "flawless" sometimes, although sparingly, is used to describe an outstanding production, but a careful dissection often will turn up a flaw here and there if a critic or patron wants to be fussy about it. But "On the Waterfront" comes about as close to fitting the adjective as is humanly possible. That goes for the acting, direction, screenplay and production quality. A delicate theme has been handled with equal deftness and, one might say, with great courage. A story about a labor union and its almost totalitarian power over its helpless members can be a touchy subject unless handled with kid gloves, as the saying goes. Again Columbia has come up with a solid picture which has neither color nor new techniques. It can be played without "scopes" or multiple track sound. The combination of Elia Kazan's direction, Marlon Brando, a stellar cast including newcomer Eva Marie Saint and a screenplay by Budd Schulberg, in itself, is drawing power. One of the most impressive factors of the picture is its realism, the naturalness of the performances. It is an accomplishment in which Kazan e.xcells. The picture was made in its entirety along with the New York and New Jersey waterfronts, tenement districts and the housetops of the tenements. These natural locales itl the metropolitan area add to the realism of the picture. There are no phoney sets or backgrounds. Brando, as the tough errand W .V . . . {Continued on page 4) ALLIED ASSAILS FILM RENTAL POLICIES Myers Cites Chances of Federal Control; Says Film Terms Consume U. Tax Saving By J. A. OTTEN WASHINGTON, July 13.— Allied States general counsel Abram F. Myers said today that he could not predict how long Allied would continue its belief that there should be no government regulation of the 1,500 Hail C'Scope Advances at 20th' s U,K, Demonstration By PETER BURNUP LONDON, July 13.— Nearly 1,500 industry executives, leading exhibitors, equipment manufacturers and others were on hand at the Carlton Theatre here today to witness 20th CenturyFox's demonstration of its improved new CinemaScope camera lens and stereophonic sound technique. The unanimous and enthusiastic view of the audience appeared to be that the new lens represents an important advance in CinemaScope photography, especially in night and distance shots, and by way of eliminating screen edges which were present in some of the earliest CinemaScope proj ections. A typical comment was that by Mark Sheckman, prominent exhibitor, who said : "CinemaScope's new look surpasses anything I have yet seen. The industry now looks forward confidently to an exciting and profitable future." Exhibitors generally, however, are still not sold on the necessity of having stereophonic sound. Genuinely impressed by the demonstaration reel of the 20th-Fox studio symphony orches{Continued on page 2) industry. Myers also charged that "in depriving the exhibitors of the benefits of the excise tax reduction bill the film companies not only are relegating them to the precarious state they occupied prior to the bill's enactment, but are thwarting the will of Congress." In a bulletin given wide circulation in the industry Myers detailed recent exhibitor complaints of raised film rentals by distributors and said that {Continued on page 4) Abram F. Myers E & P Plan Rejected By COMPO Group A proposal that individual distribution companies buy advertising space to run in conjunction with the 26th and final COMPO ad in "Editor & Publisher" was discussed and voted down by the COMPO press relations committee at a meeting at the Motion Picture Association of America offices here yesterday. The proposal, advanced by Oscar Doob of M-G-M, was that individual {Continued on page 4) FTC AND STATE DEPT. OFFICIALS STUDY ARNALL'S MPEA COMPLAINT WASHINGTON, July 13. — Officials of both the Federal Trade Commission and State Department said today they were studying the recent complaints lodged against the Motion Pictures Export Association by Ellis Arnall, president of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers. Arnall has been up in arms over the agreement negotiated with the French government recently by MPEA president Eric A. Johnston. State Department officials said they hoped to have some sort of reply ready for the former Georgia governor by the end of the week or early next week. They refused to indicate what it might say. FTC officials pointed out that the commission has, on its own, been investigating the MPEA for "well over a year." They said the Arnall complaint is being studied now, and that the complaint could change the speed or the direction of the commission's own investigation, or could conceivably have no efifect at all. They, too, indicated it would be a week or so before they would know.