Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1954)

Tuesday, July 20, 1954 Motion Picture Daily 5 $1,250,000 Charity Goal Set ByPPC HOLLYWOOD, July 19.— Reflecting confidence in that the recent increase in film production is to continue, Regis Toomey, president of the Permanent Charities Committee announced that the goal . for the 1955 campaign has been raised $25,000 to $1,250,000. "Many newcomers in both talent and craft groups have been added to company payrolls," Toomey said, "and efficiency of our fair plan, providing automatic payroll deductions on a percentage basis from one-half per cent upwards, is increasing steadily." Deny Divestiture to Schine Defendant BUFFALO, July 19.— A motion by Elmart Theatres, Inc., one of the defendants with Schine Theatres, Inc., and others in civil and criminal contempt of court proceedings in Federal Court, for permission to dispose of certain theatre holdings has been denied by Federal Judge John Knight. The government opposed the move on grounds that pending contempt of courts actions should be concluded first. Contempt actions are based on the contention that Schine, its officers and other corporations failed to abide by the 1949 anti-trust decree issued by Judge Knight directing the Schine circuit to dispose of certain theatres and make available first run films to competing theatres. Judge Knight gave Schine permission to purchase furniture and other equipment from the Lake Theatre, Canandaigua. The Lake Theatre will be converted into business property. Court permission for the purchase was requested so that Schine could comply with the anti-trust decree. Alien Property Bill Could Affect Aniline WASHINGTON, July 19. — The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill to return to its former owners all alien property seized by the U. S. Government during the war. However, the President could direct that a particular property be sold by its former owners to U. S. nationals, if he found that to be in the national interest. Presumably this would coyer the huge General Aniline and Film Co., the largest single property seized by the Alien Property Office : Under the bill, U. S. District Courts would supervise the sale to American nationals in these cases. Chances are slight that the bill will clear both House and Senate this late in the session. Canadian TV Pact OTTAWA, Ont., July 19. — Radio and Television Employees Association of Canada has signed its first collective pact with Canadian Broadcasting Commission, covering over 1,300 employees, effective Aug. 1. Provisions allow six per cent pay boost retroactive to Feb. 1 and other benefits. —HOWARD E. STARK^ Brokers and Rnanclal Consultants TELEVISION STATIONS I RADIO STATIONS 50 E. SSth St^ N. Y. EL 5-0405 Steeialists to Motion Pletare Industry Televisinn-'Hadio —iiiif h Pinky ffi>rrtinn w Charles Sanford ''E never thought we'd see the day when "Howdy Doody" would • be NBCancelled (even for a day) but the effervescent little red-head will have a day off on Tuesday, August 10th. Of course all the "future presidents of America" would be up in arms (not their mothers) were it not for the fact that this most unusual pre-empting is due to a special NBTelecast in honor of a former President of the United States, Herbert G. Hoover, whose 80th birthday will be celebrated at this time at his birthplace, in West Branch, Iowa. But comes Wednesday, Aug. 11, Bob Smith, producer Roger Muir, and puppeteers Allan Swift, Rufus Rose and Lee Carney submerge their personalities in favor of Howdy and his friends. . . . Charles Wynn, w.k. songwriter and coach is grooming a youngster named Frank Speach. The baritone was found working as a waiter at the Flamingo Hotel in Miami Beach and sounds like "another Perry Como." The cast of the forthcoming successor program to "Your Show of Shows," which will preem Sunday, Sept. 12, TVia NBC and titled, "Max Liebman Presents," has been assembled by Liebman and includes Hal Janis, NBC supervisor; Bill Robin, assistant producer-director ; Charles Sanford, musical director; Frederick Fox, scenic designer. Clay Wamick, choral director; Paul Du Pont, costume designer; Max Siegel, assistant to Liebman; Aaron Levine, music librarian, and Irwin Kostal and Harry Battista, arrangers. The new writers include Billy Friedberg, Fred Saidy and William Jacobson. . . . Screen star Tony Curtis and Liberace will be on hand to aid carrot-top Skelton when "the Red Skelton Show" replaces carrot-top "Arthur Godfrey & His Friends" tomorrow night (8:00-9:00 P.M.) over CBS-TV. . . . Robert H. Harris, the beloved "Jake" on "The Goldbergs" from the very start, celebrates his 25th year as a thespian. . . . Le Roy Prinz, former Warner Bros, and Academy Award winning director, has been signed by Louis D. Snader to direct the "Koria Pandit" telefilm series of 52 half-hour musicals which go before the cameras in Hollywood next week. -^s: "The Imogene Coca Show," starring the versatile comedienne of the former NBClassy "Your Shozv of Shows" will make its debut Saturday, October 2, in the 9:00-9:30 P.M. slot and will be seen three out of four Saturdays. . . . The "CB Search for Tomorrozv" TVehicle, now completing its 2rd year, has been renewed by Procter & Gamble for another 52 weeks. Well, the cast can relax for another 365 tomorrows. . . . With new offices and. quarters established both in New York and Hollyivood, Emperor Films now offers a four-fold service to TV producers, including shipping, titling, film processing and splicing. . . . "Crossroads in Asia," which bozved into the TV scene last CB Sunday (6 :307:00 P.M.) zuith Ambassador at Large Henry Cabot Lodge, zvill have as this week's guest, Averill W. Harriman. . . . Coca-Cola has renewed "Bob &" Ray" for another 13 weeks over WINS, N. Y. The clever team rates another shot at TV. . . . Chevrolet Dealers will sponsor the GrossKrasne telefilm series, "The Lone Wolf over WNBT starting in September, making the Nezv York area the fourth market sponsored by G.M.'s Chevz'y division. Deal set by United Television Programs' veep, Aaron Beckwith. Ronzoni Macaroni and U. S. Tobacco, which co-sponsor the Ziv telefilm series, "I Led Three Lives" on NBC, Sundays at 10 :30 P.M. have been granted first refusal rights on the new series, which moves to WABC-TV, Sept. 25, upon expiration of the NBContract. Phillips Petroleum Co., which sponsors the series in 23 markets, has renewed for another 52 weeks, according to M. J. Rifkin, v. p. in charge of sales for Ziv TV Productions. ... 35 years and two weeks after he won the world's heavyweight championship, Jack Dempsey will talk about it on Martha Deane's WOR program Friday. Imogene Coca Upper M.W. Theatres Report Good Season; Steady 'Scope Swing MINNEAPOLIS, July 19.— CinemaScope installations in closed or "four-wall" theatres are proceeding at a steady rate and are liable to dent the "good business" which upper Midwest drive-in operators are reporting. Outdoor theatremen feel, it was learned, that the "best season" which they now have, has progressed too far in order to convert a house to CinemaScope. The drive-ins have been exhibiting films with the conventional 1.33 to 1 aspect ratio. Equipment dealers in this area seem undisturbed by the lack of interest expressed by theatre owners in converting to CinemaScope. Enclosed theatres or "four-wall" are installing CinemaScope and stereophonic sound steadily. Within a six-state area, the average is 17 closed houses to one drive-in installation of equipment for the medium. One Minneapolis salesman said, "After all, with the exception of the Twin Cities, few of the drive-ins are competitive and most of them are playing off availibilities. There is still plenty of good product to use." Outdoor theatremen are worried about the possible return to war-time daylight saving time which is banned in Minnesota. A bill legalizing the switch may go before the legislature this winter. If passed, the starting time of drivein shows would be 9 :30 p.m. instead of 8 :30 p.m. well past children's bed time. 37 Pictures Now Before Cameras HOLLYWOOD, July 19. — "Oklahoma" and four other pictures were started and four completed films were transferred to cutting rooms, bringing the score, for the hottest week anybody here remembers, to 37 in production. Starting were "Oklahoma," R & H Todd-AO, CinemaScope, Eastman (Ind.); "Target Earth" (A-A) ; "Outsiders," Hammer Film Prod. (Lippert) ; "Cattle Queen of Montana," Bogeaus, SuperScope, Technicolor (Rep.) ; "White Feather," Panoramic, CinemaScope, Technicolor (20th-Fox), and "Stranger on Horseback," Goldstein, Technicolor (U-A). Finishing were "Bowery to Bagdad" (A-A) ; "Long John Silver," Kaufman, CinemaScope, Technicolor (Ind.) ; "Black Widow," CinemaScope, Technicolor (20th-Fox) ; "Smoke Signal," Technicolor, and Abbott & Costello Meet the Keystone Kops" (U-I). Gould Joins CBS Jack Gould, radio-TV editor of the New York Times, has been appointed information adviser to CBS, it was announced by Frank Stanton, CBS president. Gould has resigned from his newspaper affiliation and will assume his new duties on Aug. 2. LOOK TO FILMACK FOR THE FINEST ANNOUNCEMENT TRAILERS 1327 S. Wakitb ■ Chiuf, Hl-il (M Ninlh Au. Nc« York, N. Y.: