Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1954)

6 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, December 15, 1954 Davis Sees No Opposition (Continued from page 1) Seek New O. Censor Law National Pre-Selling "There's No Business Like Show Business" Build-up EMPHASIS was placed ou the music of Irving Berlin and on tieups, by 20th Century-Fox for the promotional campaign of "Show Business." MU.SIC : Selections from the sound track of Irving Berlin's "There's No Business Like Show Business" are being issued by Decca Records in a special album to be extensively promoted with the national release. All the picture's hit songs are included in the album. The company is alerting its distributors and thousands of accounts across the nation of the album's release, scheduled for this week, urging full cooperation with theatremen. Disk jockeys and juke box operators also are being contacted to award top play to the album, iuid program salutes to composer Irving Berlin are being lined up in the overall drive. FASHIONS: A complete line of dress fashions by Natlynn of New York inspired by costumes in "Show Business" was introduced last week before 200 newspaper, magazine and wire service fashion representatives at a special fashion show and cocktail party. The Natlynn drive will feature national TV, radio, newspaper and magazine advertising, regional and local level advertising, cooperative promotions such as fashion shows and contests, and local theatre cooperation by Natlynn's thousands of department and specialtjf store outlets across the country. A nationwide contest with top prizes of one week, all-expenses-paid trips to Hollywood or New York or $250 U. S. Defense Bonds has been set by Westbrooke Clothes. Theme of the competition is "Westbrooke Clothes, as worn by Donald O'Connor, are best for me because." The contest, open to all men between the ages of IS and 30, requires entrants to complete the sentence in 25. words or less. All entries must be mailed on or before April 30, 1955 to "Fashion Contest," P. O. Box 211— Chelsea Station, New York 11, N. Y. • "look's" current issue has three ads on motion pictures: an eyecatching two-page spread in full color on U-I's "The Sign of the Pagan," — a striking full page on MGM's "Deep In My Heart," and two action-packed facing half pages in color on U.A.'s "Vera Cruz." MGM's "Glass Slipper," starring Leslie Caron, receives prominent mention in the December issue of "Seventeen." A two-page editorial spread is devoted to Leslie Caron's new starring film. "Seventeen" reports that Leslie Caron has the same writer, director and producer in this new film as she had in "Lili."' Striking color ad on U-I's "So This Is Paris" will appear in American Weekly's" Dec. 26 issue. "American Weekly's" readership has reached 30,000,000. WALTER HAAS said, "to prove that profits can be made with the new style Rank pictures which are being deliberately tailored for the world market." He reiterated that 19b3 had been the best year ever for Rank distribution in Canada. He also confirmed that more than 50 per cent of Rank's distribution receipts now come from overseas and asked again why returns from the United States are not better. Nevertheless, Davis admitted that he is "happy" as a result of his conversations with his affiliated American distributors with whom he met during his recent visit to America. Beginning with the New Year, Davis again said. Rank's entire production schedule will be in VistaVision with single track optical sound. He said the chief virtue of Vista ^Oklahoma' (Continued from page 1) gagement of "Oklahoma!" in 1955 to 50. In view of these reported plans, it was learned that Magna Theatre Corp., which holds the exhibition rights to the process, has begun prelim.inary negotiations for theatres. Magna Theatre Corp. president George Skouras, when asked for comment on the reported exhibition plans for "Oklahoma!," declined to make any statement. In response to a direct cfuery of whether only United Artists Theatres Circuit houses would be utilized for "Oklahoma!," Skouras replied strongly in the negative. Declared he : "It is the policy of Magna to license 'Oklahoma !' to the most suitable theatres in the community, regardless of whether they belong (to UATC) or not." The footage of "Oklahoma!" in the Todd-AO and CinemaScope versions are now being examined in Hollywood by producers Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers, he added, refusing any further comment. Hear Schine Official On Corporate Setup BUFFALO, Dec. 14.— At least 100 corporations are wholly owned by Schine Chain Theatres, Inc., a government witness testified in Federal Court here during the Schine trial. Mrs. Florence D. Torrey, assistant secretary-treasurer of Schine Chain Theatres, also testified that the company owns 50 per cent or more of the stock in a number of other firms. Mrs. Torrey, who has been employed by Schine 31 years, was questioned in an attempt to show the defendant corporations were under control of the Schine family. Joseph E. McDowell, Justice Department trial counsel, said the government contends the corporations constituted one business enterprise. Mrs. Torrey said some of the Schine subsidiaries were in the theatre concessions, theatre operating and printing businesses. She could give no estimate of the number of corporations hi which the Schine defendants have an i'lterest of 50 per cent or more. The witness said the Hildemart Vision is its extreme clafity of definition which, in his view, is unsurpassed by any other medium. He denied American reports that he made a deal for Rank pictures on television while over there but did not deny that such a deal was a possibility for the future. Fears TV Competition Davis said that in his view there is "dreadful" competition from commercial television awaiting British exhibitors when it is inaugurated here. He said that every section of the industry must serve the public to the utmost of its capability to offset the effects of TV. Discussing Rank's new theatre building program, Davis said that in his view the maximum seating capacity of an average neighborhood house today should be 1,500. BVay Stage (Continued from page 1) a show's gross by enabling mass audiences to view the proceedings and eliminates the long run situations, then I will fight it." In the past. Levin said, television, which has presented portions of plays to home TV audience, has not harmed the box office. A New York exhibitor representative on the joint anti-toll TV committee viewed subscriber television as a sure way for the government to enter the industry by regulation of product, through censorship of product and rental fees. "Who is going to evaluate the price of a top-Broadway stage play or Grade "A" Hollywood motion picture for exhibition on tollTV," the exhibitor asked. The small TV station which will present the show most likely will be unable to pay for the product in the first place thereby giving the government an opportunity to step in and regulate prices, he said. Zenith has said that the local TV station itself would handle the product procurement, the theatreman said, but "who will consider the censorship issue— what is morally sound for telecasting." It was contended at a Zenith seminar of Phonevision here last week that out of the 30-odd plays now being presented on Broadway here, only about two could be shown on TV. Warners to Produce 'Faiisf for Screen HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 14.— The full technical resources of the screen, including CinemaScope, color and stereophonic sound, will be employed by Warner Brothers in their forthcoming production of the opera "Faust," it was announced here by Jack L. Warner. Both Gounod's opera and the literary work by Goethe will serve as source material for the production, which Warner stated, will be made as a drama with music and on an "epic scale." Corp. is ov^'ned by members of the Schine family. She testified that Elmart is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hildemart, but denied Hildemart is a subsidiary of Schine Chain Theatres. Special to THE DAILY COLUMBUS, O., Dec. 14.— Censor fees only high enough to cover the expenses of censorship were advocated by R. M. Eyman, state education director and chief Ohio censor. In the fiscal year ending last June, the censor board collected $233,774 via the $3 per reel fee. The board's expenses were $48,336. This left a surplus of $185,438, all of which went into a fund for audio-visual education in Ohio schools. Where will the state get money for visual education if censorship remains dormant in Ohio? Eyman said he didn't know. "Maybe the education department isn't even the right place for the film censor board," he said. Wants 'More Specific' Law Eyman said he and his staff are "sweating out'' the job of drafting a new censorship law which presumably would have a provision for lower censor fees. "It will have to be much more specific than the old law," said Eyman. "In writing the new law we're floundering around with terms," Eyman said. "Words like obscene, vulgarity and lewdness should probably be used." He said that in the future obscenity in movies should be the censors' prime concern. In the past the Ohio board also has cut out action which they thought might stir up racial or religious trouble or incite to crime. But Eyman thinks it is too difficult to pre-judge such effects. He says he feels the time to crack down on such films is when it has been plainly shown they have created trouble after public screening. This represents a right-about-face from the 41-year-old Ohio policy of prior censorship. Eyman said that members of the censor board "take a dim view" of his suggestion that the censor fees cover only the budget of the board. "They tell me the complaint by the movie people about the fees is just an alibi," Ejmian said. Theatremen contend the fee is in reality a tax. Can Eyman and the censor board draft a new law which will be acceptable to the legislature and which will stand up under the future assaults in the courts ? "I wouldn't say I'm too optimistic about it," said Eyman. "But then I'm not pessimistic, either." The censor board is still in business, but on a "voluntary" basis only. Eyman said that Attorney General William O'Neill had interpreted the Ohio Supreme Court's 5-2 decision which declared censoring films "unlawful" as removing the censors' power to require submission of films for censoring prior to their exhibition. Sees Constitutionality in Doubt Eyman said that "it is quite clear that the law has not been declared unconstitutional nor void." He said the board will accept and review films voluntarily submitted it. Eyman added that this policy will remain in effect until the Legislature acts on the problem. He said that the $3 per reel fee still applies to films voluntarily submitted, reviewed and approved.