Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1954)

Thursday, July 15, 1954 National Pre-Selling MOTION Picture Daily D. C. Grosses Spotty (Continued from page 1) Carl Dorese CARL DORESE has been appointed creative assistant to Frank J. Kaus, director of advertisi n g planning and research for "American Weekly." Dorese was formerly in the advertising department of the NBC network and with the J. Walter Thompson advertising agenc}\ He will be in charge of promotion for " A m e r i c an Weekly" third annual movie edition to be published on Sept. 12. It will feature previews of Hollywood productions under the title "You'll Be Seeing." Theatre owners can purchase copies of the third annual movie edition at cost, for distribution, door to door or in their lobbies. Snipes can be attached with theatres' names and playdates. • Philip Hartung, motion picture editor of "Woman's Home Companion," has reviewed and recommended "The Caine Mutiny" and "Man With a Million" in the July issue According to a recent survey made of the four and one-quarter million subscribers of the "Companion," one-third of its readers attend one or more theatres weekly. • A powerful plug for "The Barefoot Contessa" appears in the July 25 issue of "Collier's." There is a beautifully colored picture spread showing Ava Gardner, barefooted doing the flamenco and being watched by 100 gypsies who were hired as extras. In addition, there is a full colored_ photograph of Ava taken on location, on the top of the front cover of the issue. « M-G-M's star Pier Angeli is the cover girl on "Life's" July 14 issue. Four pages are devoted to an interesting personality story of Pier Angeli in the issue. Her next starring role for M-G-M will be "Green Mansions." • One of the most comprehensive series of merchandising tieups in the history of Universal-International has been set in connection with the "Magnificent Obsession" world premiere at the RKO Palace, Cleveland. The 26 stores of the Eroger grocery chain are tied into a special contest. The Federal Stores ; Euclid Av. Merchants ; Standard Drug Stores ; Clark Restaurants and all large department stores are saluting the premiere with special promotions. Exciting photographs taken on the sets of "The High and the Mighty" illustrate the "movie review" in the current issue of "Look." "The High and the Mighty" is a Warner Brothers CinemaScope production. • Ed Miller of "Seventeen" selected "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" as the picture of the month for August. WALTER HAAS being among the films that have helped keep business up. George Crouch, Washington zone manager for StanleyWarner theatres, said business earlier this year was "nothing to brag about," but that it picked up some over the last holiday weekend. "The High and the Mighty" in first runs both here and in Baltimore built up impressive grosses over the holidays, he said. The recent Marciano-Charles fight films also helped business, he indicated. Marvin Goldman, general manager of K-B Theatres, said April, May and_ early June were slow, but that business started picking up since midJune and recent average weekly grosses have been considerably above those earlier in the year. He attribututed the pick-up to the fact that kids are now out of school and going to more films, and to better pictures re cently, such as "Beat the Devil," "Johnny Guitar" and "River of No Return." Vicious Circle "It was a vicious circle," he said "The distributors earlier in the year held up the pictures because there was no business, and there was no business because there were no good pic tures." Kenneth McGuire, manager of the Lopert-owned Playhouse, said busi ness has been "fantastic" both at the Playhouse and the Lopert-owned Du pont. "Last year was the best year we had at the Playhouse since it onenpd, and this year is ahead of last year," he stated. Danny Kave's "Knock on Wood" is now in its 13tl week at the Playhouse. The Dupont so far has had only two films this Warner Device (Continued from page 1) year : "Julius Caesar," which set house records, and "Captain's Paradise," now in its eighth week and still going strong. Jerry Baker, manager of RKO Keith's Theatre, was also glowing. He said business all year has been running ahead of last year, thanks to better films, and that right now business is "only sensational," with "The Caine Mutiny" breaking every record in the theatre's history. He estimated 'Caine' would run at least into September. On the other hand, Morton Gerber, head of District Theatres, reported his circuit is running consistently behind last year and that even the Fourth of July weekend didn't help. "People are just more selective," he said. "When we have a picture they want, we'll still have business that compares with the best of times. But we just don't have as many of those pictures as we should." Good Summer Expected Lloyd Wineland, Jr., of Wineland Theatres, was another who thought he detected a pick-up in the last few weeks. He said that earlier in the year business had been just about at last year's levels, but that the last week in June and early July were much better because "we had some good pictures, and more of them." On the basis of films now available for the next four or five weeks, he stated, "I think things are going to be very good this summer." Pat Notaro, general manager of Roth Theatres, thought "business has been very good." Most of the chain's theatres are running just about at a par with last year, he said, while business at the chain's key art house, the Plaza, has been running well ahead of last year. Tax Hearing (Continued from page 1) of four respective city, state and Federal laws. They are : Section B32-S.0, of the Administrative Code of the City of New York; the New York State "enabling act" which empowers state municipalities of 25,000 and over to levy a tax on amusements of up to five per cent; the Constitutions of the United States and the State of New York. Tax Collection May Stop If Judge Pette issues a temporary injunction restraining and enjoining enforcement of the law, collection of the tax by exhibitors could be stopped. Among other possibilities that may arise is one permitting the city time to amend the law in order to remove the alleged violations. Another would have exhibitors holding the collected tax money, while the injunction is in effect, "in trust," until termination of the restriction or a trial. to be the underlying theme of many portions permitted by the structure of the theatre. The full width of 42 feet, in use before the aperture was placed on the projection machine, was retained. The aspect ratio, stated Warner, was the proportion of 2.2 to 1. New apertures, inexpensive to install, will soon be made available to all exhibitors, he said. Agreement (Continued from page 1) began work today, took the Senate version. The conferees also approved a provision permitting businessmen to carry back losses for two years, rather than the present one year, to get refunds on taxes in the earlier period. Flick Urges (Continued from page 1) current motion pictures and story plots. He thought this might result in "a sort of normalcy of vision" being fostered in the minds of people. The young growing up with such a concept could be adapted to total itarianism. Dr. Flick warned. He cited the age of the present licensing statute as a reason for "a thorough-going, full-dress study" of it. Industry Polices Self Tracing the history and need for censorship. Dr. Flick commented that the film industry does a very good job of policing domestic pictures against indecency. It is the 50 per cent submitted for licensing which are not subject to the production code mechanism that cause most of the trouble, he continued. Dr. Flick stated that the Motion Picture Division screens, for licensing, about 1,500 pictures annually. Review Malta Story (Rank-United Artists) THE name of Alec Guinness can be exploited in this import about the siege of Malta during World War II. But although Guinness is in the picture and is supported by a distinguished cast of British actors, the film adds up to little more than a series of film clips of the war and a rather slow movingdocumentary-styled drama. Patrons of import houses may be disappointed in "Malta Story" if for no other reason than having to look for Guinness between the battle scenes which dominate the film's 98 minutes. In support of Guinness there are Jack Hawkins, Anthony Steel, Muriel Pavlow, Renee Asherson and Flora Robson, all doing the best they can with the story. As a pictorial glimpse of the efifect of the war on the Alediterranean island, the film at times reaches true realism. But as a drama, it fails to supply much semblance of entertainment As a fighter pilot attached to a British squadron on the island. Guinness falls in love with a local girl, Miss Pavlow. During their rendezvous some excellent photography records explosions above and upon the besieged island. In the film's climax. Guinness is given the task of finding a German con voy, a job at which he is successful but sacrifices his life. Peter De Sarigny produced and Brian Desmond Hurst directed "Malta Story" from the screenplay by William Fairchild and Nigel Balchin. Running time, 98 minutes. General classification. Release, not set. Sheriff Recommends (Continued from page 1) of the 10 outdoor theatres throughout the county. The Starlight, 95th Street and Ridgeland, Oak Lawn, pulled the film over the weekend following Babb's survey of every car entering the theatre's grounds. The Starlight posted an "Adults Only" sign, but cars were turned back from entering the outdoor house by a vigilant group of police officers. The Starview, the second drive-in featuring the controversial film, was seeking to cancel the booking, it was reported. Additional Finance Secured by Magna With financial assistance provided by Kuhn, Loeb & Co., an investment banking firm, the Magna Theatre Corp. is set to provide the necessary capital, estimated at $6,000,000, for the production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma" in the wideangle Todd-AO screen process and CinemaScope. Magna, a new enterprise organized to provide the capital, has, it was reported, $6,000,000' of five-year debentures, 12,500 shares of cumulative preferred stock, and 2,200,000 shares of common stock.