Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1954)

2 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, July 14, 1954 Personal Mention ARNOLD M. PICKER, vice-president of United Artists in charge of foreign distribution, left here yesterday for Mexico City. • Robert Keeier, 20th Century-Fox's managing director in Austria and Germany, and his wife will leave here today for Europe aboard the "Queen Elizabeth." William Dozier, executive vicepresident of Cornwall Productions, will leave New York today for Hollywood and Hawaii. • Abe Olman, head of M-G-M's music subsidiaries, will sail from New York today for Europe aboard the "America." Irving H. Greenfield, Loew attorney, will leave New York by plane today for Europe and Israel. Ryder In Favor Of Media Uniformity HOLLYWOOD, July 13.— Strongly in favor of a standardization of all film processes, Loren Ryder, Paramount's research head who recently returned from a five-week tour of Europe, said here today that he "will go a long way to bring it about." Demonstrating Paramount's widescreen VistaVision to European exhibitors, Ryder said that "standardization appeared relatively easy to achieve within a comparatively short time." J. Arthur Rank has adopted VistaVision for all of his theatres and pictures in England, he said. The research head, in response to questions, stated that European theatres, large and small, can use VistaVision with little, if any, modification of present equipment. Pointing out that the economy factor is especially prized by European theatremen, who are limited legally as well as economically in expenditures for modernization, Ryder said that showmen from all parts of the continent were uniformly enthusiastic about the Paramount medium. Asked how much this economic factor would amount to, per exhibitor, he said a fair estimate might be "equal to one year's profit." Ryder revealed that field teams sent out from Kansas City in May to check U. S. theatres on their facilities for handling VistaVision have reported virtually total readiness for it. Where some small changes were recommended in projectors, lenses, etc., he said these would be equally advantageous to other pictures as well as Y'staVision pictures. Ryder also disclosed that between 60 and 70 per cent of American theatres where screens big enough for anamorphic print uses have been installed, exhibitors have had the foresight to buy taller screens than required for anarnorphic prints so that VistaVision pictures can be accommodated without a physical change. Film Shares Strong; New Highs Are Set Motion picture shares continued in good demand on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, several reaching new highs for the year. On a turnover of 46,500 shares Loews gained 54 to close at a new high of 16%. National Theatres also gained 54 and set a new high at 7% on a turnover of 14,100. Twentieth Century-Fox gained a full point to close at 21 14. with 17,400 shares changing hands. Universal Pictures preferred also gained a point to set new high for the year of 71. Warners gained ^ to equal the high of 16^. Stockholder-Hughes SEC Suit Dismissed HOLLYWOOD, July 13.— Federal Judge Ben Harrison dismissed by stipulation the minority stockholder suit brought against Howard Hughes, RKO Radio Pictures and Ned E. Depinet on March 6, 1953, which charged violation of the S.E.C. Act. Dismissal was without cost to either side, but does not bar counsel from seeking compensation for services rendered. ^Window* to Reopen Rivoli Here Aug, 4 Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window," Technicolor production starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly, will launch the fall season at the Rivoli Theatre here on Aug. 4 with a world premiere to 'benefit the American-Korean Foundation. Hollywood and Broadway stars, radio and television personalities and civic and social leaders will be invited to the opening of this Paramount production. 'GWTW 5th Trip Nears $1,000,000 "Gone With the Wind," in its fifth time around, has grossed close to $1,000,000 in its first 24 engagements, M-G-M reports. Of these engagements, 15 have been held over for a week or more, the longest being seven weeks. In several of the new openings, such as in Philadelphia and Nashville, the picture has been found to top the original release in 1939. In New York alone, where the picture is in its seventh week at the Loew's State, it has -grossed better than $325,000, the company said. Columbia Dividend Columbia Pictures announced that the board of directors at a meeting held yesterday declared a quarterly dividend of %l.06% per share on the $4.25 Cumulative preferred stock of the company, payable on Aug. 16 to stockholders of record Aug. 2. AFL Film Council Supports Arnall In MPEA Disagreement HOLLYWOOD, July 13.— The AFL Film Council unanimously voted today in favor of a resolution supporting SIMPP president Ellis Arnall's position with regard to the Motion Picture Export Association's pact with the French film industry. The resolution, voted at a regular meeting of the Council, reads in part, "Whereas on July 2, the honorable Ellis Arnall wrote Secretary Dulles reciuesting a statement of i>olicy from the State Department as to its approval or disapproval of the MPEA's action in granting a subsidy to French industry, which can adversely affect employment in the U. S. of motion picture craftsmen ; and whereas on July 8, Arnall also requested the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation of the MPEA-French agreement ; be it resolved that the AFL Film Council joins in request with Arnall for a thorough investigation by our government of the MPEAFrench agreement and into other agreements containing subsidy provisions negotiated between American producers and other foreign governments, in order to ascertain propriety and legality of such agreements and practices." National Theatres president Charles Skouras, conducting a general meeting of the Southern California division at the circuit's headquarters, said, "We have lots of faith in this business and as long as we continue to progress we have nothing to fear. Television is the worst competitor we have ever had in the history of the picture business, but we have also found the answer on how to get people to come out to our theatres." He credited stereophonic sound, CinemaScope and the miracle mirror screen for contributing a large part in producing the recent box office upsurge. General manager Edwin F. Zabel, after distributing $34,000 in awards for the recently concluded "Eddie Zabel Inaugural" drive, announced the start of a "13-week-more dollars in 1954" campaign. FPA Unveils Series Of New Color Films At a special closed circuit demonstration in NBC's Colonial Theatre, attended by representatives of over fifty top ad agencies, labs, film suppliers, members of the association and representatives of the press, the Film Producers Association of New York, yesterday unveiled its new series of test TV color films. The tests, made in cooperation with NBC's Color Corp. were shot and shown both in 35mm and 16mm, using a wide variety of commercial products and packages, many of which were supplied by the agencies themselves. Irving Pichel Dies HOLLYWOOD, July 13. — Film director Irving Pichel, who last week completed directing "Day of Triumph," a religious production for theatrical release, died at his home here of a heart attack today. UK ^Scope (Continued from page 1) tra, one exhibitor nevertheless was heard to ask : "How often do we see a symphony orchestra in a film ?" The general impression left was that the demonstration was forceful evidence of 20th-Fox president Spyros Skouras's unshakable faith in his new medium. Also, most of those present remarked that in the demonstration reel, Darryl F. Zanuck, 20th-Fox production chief, read a sharp lesson to the trade not only in showmanship but also in motion picture salesmanship. The Skouras Zanuck enthusiasm clearly was contagious. Despite the stereophonic sound controversy, a great upsurge in CinemaScope installations, with or without stereophonic sound, can be counted on as one of the direct consequences of the demonstration. Among those at the Carlton demonstration today were : J. Arthur Rank, John W. Davis, Sir Philip Warter, D. J. Goodlatte, Ernest Turnbull, Robert Clark, John Woolf, Marcel Hellman, many of Britain's leading exhibitors and most of the American distribution executives here. N. J. Allied (Coniimied from page 1) shortage is intolerable because of the many pictures which are on the shelf. The holdup by Broadway has been very damaging. It and other holdups as well as the print shortage have completely destroyed very expensive advertising campaigns by the companies. There is no orderly system of clearance." "And there are all sorts of excuses for the print shortages. I don't understand it. They say they cannot get the labs to turn out the prints. I realize it's complicated. But I have yet to hear anybody in distribution take any of our suggestions or any steps to stop this. I would like to ask this question : "is anything being done?" Of the request, by telegram, from Ben Marcus of National Allied and Walter Reade, of TOA, to the companies to alleviate the print shortage, Snaper said : "They spat in the exhibitor's eye." He admitted receiving "letters from one or more companies, but insisted that was "all they ever do." He also pointed up the possibility of raising to the stockholders of the companies the "unwisdom" of company policies although short term gains are now apparent. "There is no reason to believe we exhibitors will sit back and let them grab all this money." Snaper emphasized the shortage of prints and the holdups were occurring in both standard and CinemaScope versions of pictures. He denied arbitration could help. "There is not one thing I have talked about that could be arbitrated," was his comment. Mrs. Cappellano, 82 ALBANY, July 13. — Services were held at St. Teresa's Church for Mrs. Lucia Cappellano, 82, sister of the late Robert K. Vignola, motion picture director. 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