Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1954)

2 Motion Picture Daily Monday, July 26, 1954 Personal Mention ARNOLD M. PICKER, United Artists vice-president in charge of foreign distribution, will arrive in Hollywood over the weekend from Mexico City. Phillip Smith, president of the Smith Management Co., Boston, and family, are vacationing in Bretton Woods, N. H. Hauold Rand, 20th Century-Fox trade press representative, has returned here from a West Coast vacation. Ray McNamara of the Allyn Theatre, Hartford, and family have returned there from a Cape Cod vacation. Ira Tulipan, 20th Century-Fox publicity representative, is vacationing in Nantucket, R. I. Meyer Hutnek, of the 20th Century-Fox publicity staff, has returned from a Woodstock, N. Y., vacation. • Robert Rossen, producer, arrived in New York from Rome over the weekend via Pan American. • Dennis Holy, British actor, will arrive here today from London via B.O.A.C. Monarch. Brewer Barnstorms For lATSE Post Roy M. Brewer, lATSE presidential candidate, left Los Angeles at the weekend for a 10-day cross-country barnstorming campaign tour which will culminate in Washington on Aug. 4, according to Russell M. Moss, executive vice-president of Home Office Employees, local H-63, lATSE. Moss, candidate for vice-president of lATSE, will meet Brewer when he arrives in Washington after which both candidates will proceed to Cincimiati for the lATSE bi-annual convention on Aug. 9. Brewer will make stops in Nebraska, Utah, Montana, Iowa and Illinois, recruiting support for his election, before arriving in the nation's capital. Moss said. Powell Cools Closed Theatre With Fans ST. GEORGE, U., July 25.— Thanks to Dick Powell's recent visit here with RKO's "The Conqueror" troupe, the local theatre may stay open during the Summer months, the first time in its history. The producer-director had giant fans installed to lessen the heat while screening the daily rushes and left them behind in appreciation of the interest shown by the townspeople in his work. French Like 'Scope Showing: Einfeld Enthusiasm for "The Advancing Techniques of CinemaScope" was registered by more than 700 exhibitors, members of the press and representatives of the French film industry following demonstrations at the Normandie Theatre in Paris, according to a cable from Charles Einfeld, vicepresident of 20th Century-Fox, received over the weekend in New York by the company. 'Scope Reel Acclaimed Einfeld, who is making a swing through Europe on behalf of the forthcoming CinemaScope production "The Egyptian," reported acclaim for the demonstration with discussions of its merits lasting long after the showing was over. On hand for the showing and acting as hosts for the occasion were Murray Silverstone, president of 20th Century-Fox International Corp., Albert Cornfield, managing Director for Europe, and Giulio Ascarelli, publicity manager for Europe. Einfeld also held meetings with the following company foreign managers, Federico Micucci, Italy, Sven Nygren, Sweden, and Pedro Bistagne, Spain, on "The Egyptian" and other upcoming pictures. Einfeld leaves for Scandinavia tomorrow for visits to Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. 79 Italian Films in Works at Mid-year A total of 79 films went before the cameras in Italy in the first six months of 1954, including 74 new Rome-sponsored productions, one American project, and four features on which shooting, which began in 1953, was resumed this year, according to the latest figures received by Italian Films Export. Fifteen new pictures were begun last month, the same number as were started in March. Figures for the other months were: January, 19 ; February and April, 9 ; and May, 12. Of the 74 new Italian films, 14 are co-productions with French companies and one each is being co-sponsored by a German, Spanish and Egyptian company. Thirty-two of the pictures are color productions with 17 in Ferraniacolor, six each in color by Technicolor and Eastmancolor, two in Gevacolor and one in Warnercolor. 'Detective* Selected For Venice Festival Columbia Pictures moved into a commanding lead in the Venice Film Festival yesterday when the company announced that "The Detective," based on G. K. Chesterton's "Father Brown" stories, had been selected for showing at this all-important European judging. This makes the third Columbia film requested for showing by officials of the Venice Festival. Previously the company has announced that "The Caine Mutiny" and "On The Waterfront" would be screened for the international board at Venice. 111. Allied Equipment Group Aids Members CHICAGO, July 25. — A special equipment committee set up by Allied Theatres of Illinois for the purpose of studying the various wide-screen and stereophonic sound systems has served a definite purpose, president Jack Kirsch said here in his annual report to the membership. "We earnestly believe," he said-, "that the existence of this committee has had a profound efYect on the equipment trade to the extent of creating an element of competition among the various manufacturers and dealers with the result that prices originally quoted to individual exhibitors were gradually lowered after the committee made itself known to the trade." Kirsch said that as soon as the equipment "muddle" adjusts itself, in the light of the many developments which are coming out, this committee will resume its functions and pass all available information to the unit's members. The purpose of the committee was tv\'o-fold ; namely : d To create a technical staff which would be responsible for a complete technical survey of each Allied theatre. This technical stafif would be made up of engineers from the various sound and projection equipment firms, whose responsibility it would be to determine exactly what additional equipment was required for the proper installation of wide-screen and stereophonic sound equipment. €][ To obtain from dealers and manufacturers of quality merchandise the best possible prices on the group purchasing of equipment required for each individual Allied theatre. As a result of this committee's activities, Altec Service Corp. made surveys of many of our theatres at no cost and the results of these surveys were turned over to the exhibitors involved. Milwaukee 50% Over Makelim Plan Quota MILWAUKEE, July 25.— Independent producer Hal. R. Makelim announced that over 50 per cent of the exhibitors in the territory had subscribed to his production plan after a meeting of the Allied Independent Theatre Owners of Wisconsin at the Hotel Schroeder here. Makelim explained his 12-picture plan to the representatives of over 200 theatres. Ben Marcus, National Allied's president, who introduced the producer to the membership, summed up the Makelim plan as the "solution to the many problems facing the independent exhibitors of America." Files 'Piracy' Suit Authoress Edna Buckler has filed suit in the N. Y. Federal Court against Paramount Pictures for an accounting of profits. The suit charges that Paramount's "Sunset Boulevard" (released in 1950) was pirated from her original play entitled, "Fifth Freedom," which was written prior to 1947 and allegedly submitted to Paramount. The complaint asks damage to the extent of $2,000,000. Tradewise . . . {Continued from page 1) the city's authorization to levy the admissions tax at all. Indeed, the Wagner administration has excellent cause at the moment for regret that it refused to heed exhibitors' arguments against the tax at the public hearings at City Hall in June. Had it done so, it might have averted not only some troublesome but, also, extremely costly consequences. No matter what the Wagner administration says, it did have alternatives to an admission tax. In enacting the levy, it was inviting trouble. The invitation, it would begin to appear, is being accepted. Heller & Co, Profit Up for Half 'Year CHICAGO, July 25. — Walter E. Heller & Co., which is active in motion picture financing, reported consolidated net earnings of $1,179,996 for the six months ended June 30. Comparable earnings in the first half of 1953 were $885,636. After preferred stock dividend requirements, the 1954 half-year earnings were equal to $1.78 a share on 569,118 shares of common stock outstanding, compared with $1.76 a share on 433,644 shares of common stock outstanding, in the same period a year before. Walter E. Heller, president, said that receivables acquired through the company's November merger with National Discotint Corp. of South Bend, Ind., and through the latter's subsequent operation as a division of Heller, had been sold in their entirety in June. As a result of the merger and subsequent sale of receivables, Walter E. Heller & Co. increased its capital and credit without cost and has derived some gain from the sale. RKO Indianapolis Shipping to NFS INDIANAPOLIS, July 25.— Physical distribution of RKO Radio prod. uct here has been taken over here by States Film Service, an affiliate of National Film Service, Inc. Outside of two shipping depots, RKO handles its physical distribution through its own offices. The arrangement here marks the first time that RKO has assigned its shipping to an outside organization in a regular key city. Resigns Hartford Circuit HARTFORD, July 25.— E. A. Grecula, an executive with the Hartford Theatre Circuit since 1945, has resigned to become office manager of the Symphony Society of Greater Hartford. Grecula had been serving as manager of the Colonial Theatre here, and also was the Hartford circuit's advertising and publicity manager. MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, Editor; Terry Ramsaye, Consulting Editor. Published daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., 1270 Sixth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address: "Quigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, President; Martin Quigley, Jr., Vice-President; Theo. J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Raymond Levy, Vice-President; Leo J. Brady, Secretary; Al Steen, News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, Advertising Manager; G'us H. Fausel, Production Manager; Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building, William R. Weaver, Editor, Hollywood 7-214.=i; Chicago Bureau, 120 South LaSalle Street, Urben Farley, Advertising Representative, FI 6-3074; Sam Lesner, Editorial Representative, 400 West Madison St., DE 2-1111. Washington, J. A. Otten, National Press Club, Washington, D. C. London Bureau, 4 Golden Sq., London W. 1; Hope Burnup, Manager; Peter Burnup, Editor; cable address, "Quigpubco, London." Other Quigley Publications: Motion Picture Herald; Better Theatres and Theatre Sales, each published 13 times a year as a section of Motion Picture Herald; Motion Picture and Television Almanac; Fame. Entered as second-class matter, Sept. 21, 1938, at the post office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year, $6 in the Americas and $12 foreij^u; single copies, 10c