Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

2 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, January 6, 1955 Personal Mention NICHOLAS M. SCHENCK, president of Loew's Inc., has arrived on the Coast from New York. • Forest J. Forest, manager in Trinidad for tlie Westrex Co., Caribbean, has returned to Port-of-Spain from New York. • Herbert Schwartz, Columbia Pictures salesman in Albany, N. Y., is the father of a son born to Mrs. Schwartz in Schenectady. • Richard A. Harper. M-G-M home office sales executive, will return to New York tomorrow from Albany and Gloversville. • Paul N. Lazarus, Columbia Pictures vice-president in charge of advertising-publicity, has arrived in llollvwood from New York. • Edward M. Saunders, M-G-M assistant general sales manager, has returned to New York from the Coast. • George Sidney, director, is scheduled to arrive in New York from the Coast on Jan. 15. • Harriet Parsons, producer, has arrived here from Hollywood. Janet Leigh will arrive in New York today from Hollywood. Perspecta License To Holland's Philips A licensing agreement for the manufacture of Perspecta stereophonic sound integrator units has been granted to N. V. Philips Radio of Holland, it was announced here by Perspecta Sound, Inc. N. V. Philips Radio is a component of the Philips combine of Eindhoven, Holland, a foremost electronics manufacturer and supplier in the world market and a major factor in the motion picture theatre equipment business in Europe. This brings the number of manufacturers of integrator units in all parts of the world to sixteen. The integrator unit is the only piece of special equipment required in the booth for the single-track, optical Perspecta stereophonic sound system which has been adopted by M-G-M, Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers and other producing companies. D of J is Cool to Pleas Hartman, Wyler to N. Y. HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 5. Don Hartman, Paramount vice-president, and William Wyler, producer, will leave here Friday by train for New York to seek properties for Wyler to produce for Paramount release. Bertero to T. C. Board HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 5.— John B. Bertero, president of Fox West Coast Theatres, has been named to the directorate of Transamerica Corp., it was disclosed today by Frank L. Belgrano, president of T. C {Continued {mm payc 1) duction to accept and submit to the inevitable restraints and checks which would be imposed upon it concurrently with the Department's production authorization. The Department, it was evident, will not relish agreements even of that kind because they create a need for too much policing by the Department, which says it already has its hands full. It is certain that Justice never will say to the circuits: "Go ahead and produce as in the good, old days." National Theatres officials have had several conferences on the subject with the Department and more may be in the offing. However, they have produced no indication of an agreement yet. Justice officials said there have been conversations with Theatres Owners of America representatives on the latter's 1954 convention action to seek authorization for divorced theatre companies to engage in production witli the aim of helping to relieve the product shortage confronting all exhibitors. The officials, however, declined to comment on these discussions and, meanwhile, TOA officials refused even to admit that the conversations have been held. Independents a Factor The Department officials are not unsympathetic to problems imposed upon exhibitors by shortage of product but feel that there are plenty of independent producers who can and will fill the demand if larger companies fail, therefore, there is no urgency about clearing divorced circuits for entry into production. Gehring, Myers to Mexico Looks for Address ITOO Meet COLUMBUS, Jan. 5.— William C. Gehring, assistant general sales manager for 20th Century-Fox, and Abram F. Myers, general counsel of Allied States Association, will address the annual convention of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio which begins here on Feb. 28, it was announced by Robert A. Wile, executive secretary of ITOO. The convention, which was originally set for March 1, was moved up one day so that M-G-M could conduct its "Ticket Selling Workshop" in conjunction with the conclave. Tolley, Syracuse U., Brotherhood Speaker William P. Tolley, Chancellor of Syracuse University, will deliver a featured address at the Brotherhood Dinner sponsored by the National Conference, it was announced by Barney Balaban, chairman of the dinner committee. The dinner launching" the amusement industry's Brotherhood Week campaign for 1955 will be held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York on Jan. 13. Senator William J. Fulbright of Arkansas will make the keynote speech before an anticipated gathering of more than 1,000 celebrities, executives and representatives from every branch of the entertainment world. The Brotherhood effort annually fosters understanding among Americans of all faiths, races and creeds. Pacemaker Acquires 'Chance Meeting' Pacemaker Pictures has acquired the rights to the J. Arthur Rankpresentation, "Chance Meeting," and will release the film in this country. Directed by Anthony Asquith and produced by Anthony Havelock-Allan, "Chance Meeting" was awarded the Diploma of Merit at the Edinburgh Festival as "The Young Lovers." Production Boom Special to THE DAILY MEXICO CITY, Jan. 5.— More and better production in 1955, with strong distribution support, thanks to improved organization for pictureplacing at home and abroad and increased cash help by the trade's own bank, is the industry's confident expectation for the New Year. Quality must be emphasized more than ever in 1955 as the government and the trade want more prestige abroad for Mexican films, said Eduardo Garduno, the bank's director general. Production will cost more this year, the banker revealed. In 1954, an ordinary picture cost around $64,000 to $72,000. But this year, a production must cost $160,000. Exceptional pictures will be produced, he said. The trade estimates that about $7,200,000 was invested in productions in 1954, with most films costing about $60,000 though the investment in several topped $80,000. Of the 1954 output, only 15 were regarded as top quality, about 35 were rated average and 55 were branded as poor. Mexican pictures must have foreign markets in order to yield a profit, the trade stresses. The best markets abroad are cited as the Southwestern U. S. and Central and South America. Exhibition of Mexican pictures in Europe last year did not exceed ten. The trade is confident that a really good performance will be rendered this year by Cinex, which the Government organized last summer to control the distribution of Mexican pictures abroad, to which 80 per cent of producers belong. UA Party for Douglas Arthur B. Krim, president of United Artists, and Robert S. Benjamin, chairman of the board, will be hosts here tomorrow evening at the 21 Club to Kirk Doughs, to mark the formation bv the actor of his independent production comnany that will make six pictures for UA release. News Roundup N.O. House Destroyed The Crown Theatre, a landmark in the downtown neighborhood section of New Orleans, was razed by an early morning fire, causing an estimated damage of $100,000. One side wall and the rear wall were left standing. The theatre was owned and operated by Lazarus Theatres, Inc. To Raze Trans Lux After 18 years of operation the Trans Lux 60th Street Theatre here will be torn down to make way for an office building. Originally opened as a newsreel theatre in 1937, it was one of the first East Side houses to change over to first-runs. A "farewell festival" of some of the pictures that were first introduced at the house has started and will end on Jan. 23. 'World of Life' Bows "The World of Life," first of a series of 13 two-reel short subjects imported from England by Noel Meadow, is having its initial American showing at the Trans Lux 52nd Street in conjunction with "Tonight's the Night." Add Color TV Lines During 1954, more than 47,000 channel miles of cross-country communications routes were re-engineered and re-equipped to carry color TV to 139 stations in 101 cities, according to' the Long Lines Department of the American Telephone & Telegraph Co. The first public color telecast, the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1, 1954, was carried by only 18 cities. 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