Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

2 Motion Pic ture Daily Friday, January 14, 1955 Personal Mention HJ. YATES, president of Repub• lie Pictures, is scheduled to return to the Coast over the weekend. • Lee Kennedy, manager of the Darien Playhouse, Darien, Conn., and Sarah Ferranti, of South Norwalk, have announced their engagement. • E. S. Guego, president of Westrex Corp., and R. E. Warn, vice-president, will leave New York by plane today for London. • Harry Lamont, president of Lamont Theatres, Albany, N. Y., has left there with Mrs. Lamont for Key West, Fla. • Jack L. Warner and Mort BlumENSTock are scheduled to return to the Warner Bros, studio today from here. • Alfred Hitchcock and Mrs. Hitchcock will arrive here from England Monday aboard the "Liberte." • Morey Goldstein and Ed Morey, Allied Artists officials, have returned to New York from Toronto. • Foster Blake, Universal Pictures W estern sales manager, will return here today from Kansas City. • Herbert H. Greenblatt, RKO Radio domestic sales manager, left here yesterday for Dallas. • Zac Schwartz, writer, will leave New York today for Amsterdam, Holland. Frederick Brisson, producer, has returned to Hollywood from New York. • Steven Pallos, producer, has returned to England from New York. • Lynn Farnol will leave here for the Coast today for a brief stay. Cinema Editors Elect Nahoon President HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 13. — The American Cinema Editors have elected Richard Nahoon president, succeeding William B. Murphy, and have reelected George Amy vice-president, Fda Warren secretary and Fred Berger treasurer. Del Valle to M & O HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 13. — John Del Yalle, veteran studio publicist, today was appointed W est Coast manager of Mayer & O'Brien, Inc., public relations firm which handles, among other major accounts, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Roy Anderson, 27 Roy Anderson, 27, a member of United Artists' home office playdate department, died suddenly early yesterday of a heart attack at his home. Real Estate Broker Called to Testify In Schine Trial BUFFALO, Jan. 13. — A Chicago real estate broker testified in Federal Court that a Schine Circuit, Inc., representative ignored a letter from him, inquiring about buying two Schine theatres in Ohio for a client in 1949. The broker, Oakley Spaght, was a witness in the Schine contempt of court trial before Judge John Knight, in which 15 defendants are accused of conspiring to evade Judge Knight's 1949 anti-monopoly decree. The government offered the witness' testimony in support of its contention that the Schine circuit obstructed efforts of a prospective competitor to acquire interests in theatres of which the decree bad directed the circuit to rid itself. Identifies Three Letters The witness identified three letters concerning the possible purchase of Schine theatres in Kent and Ravenna, where Schine interests operated two theatres in each town. The decree ordered divestiture of the Opera House in Kent and the Ohio in Ravenna, but as Joseph E, McDowell, government trial attorney noted, offered an alternative provision. "In lieu of selling" one theatre in each town, the defendants may dispose of both in either town." Spaght said that letters dated Oct. 14. 19 and 26, 1949, were, in succession, an inquiry from him to Schine Circuit, Inc., in Gloversville about a theatre sale, a reply from Howard Antevil (a Schine attorney and one of the defendants) and a communication from him to Antevil. McDowell read into the record parts of the correspondence. The Antevil letter offered to negotiate the sale of either the Opera House or Ohio or both, "provided you first disclose to us the name of your client." Says Offer Was Unanswered In his answer, Spaght wrote that his client was not interested in acquiring single theatres in a town because of competition, asserting that if both theatres in Ravenna or both in Kent could be acquired, "we would be interested." The witness said he received no further communication from Antevil. Defense attorney Frank G. Raichle, in cross examination, drew from the witness that the latter's real estate client was "a casual acquaintance, a man named John Palfi, in the neighborhood of 50 years old," and then unemployed. Spaght said that he never disclosed the man's name to anyone connected with the Schine organization. 'Battle Cry' Feb. 2 HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 13.— When "Battle Cry" opens here, it will be shown in two theatres simultaneously, Warner Brothers announced. The CinemaScope WarnerColor film production of Leon Uris' novel will play a dual engagement starting Feb. 2, at the Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, and the Downtown Paramount. Ohio Theatre Is Put on the Ice COLUMBUS, O., Jan. 13.— Theatres have been turned into bowling alleys, parking lots, stores and churches but few, if any, have met the fate of the Academy Theatres' suburban Arlington. The house, closed for some months, has been leased to Charles Hain for an ice skating rink and renamed the Arlington Ice Art Studio. Hain has installed a 26 by 30-foot rink. Set Special Night 'Prince' Premieres Twentieth Century-Fox will launch the "Prince of Players" nationally through a series of special night premieres, it was announced. The Philip Dunne production, currently iii its first week at New York's Rivoli Theatre, will be given campaign treatment via extensive regional and local advertising, publicity and exploitation. To aid exhibitors in the setting of campaign and premiere plans, the company is mobilizing its entire field organization. Meetings are being arranged at which theatremen and representatives of 20th Century-Fox will set in motion detailed programs of advance promotion. Campaigns will elicit the full support of merchants, schools, dramatic societies and many civic groups, it was said. Among the first domestic engagements to benefit from the campaign program are the Allen, Cleveland ; Paramount, Toledo ; Astor, Boston ; United Artists, Chicago ; Palace, Washington ; Centre, Buffalo, and the Durfee, Fall River, Mass. Also the Fulton, Pittsburgh ; United Artists, Detroit ; Carib, Miami and Miracle, Miami ; Strand, Portland, Me. ; Paramount, Springfield, Mass. ; Miller, Wichita, and the State, New Bedford. Dual Premieres for 'Bridges at Toko-RV Paramount's "The Bridges at TokoRi" will have a dual world premiere on Thursday — one in New York at Radio City Music Hall and the other at the Hollywood Paramount on the West Coast. The following day, the PerlbergSeaton Technicolor drama will have regional premieres at the Paramount, Kansas City ; Paramount, Buffalo ; Paramount, San Francisco, and the Randolph, Philadelphia. Filmed White House Press Parleys Seen WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.— Presidential press secretary James Hagerty said the White House is considering filming Presidential press conferences for later release to newsreels and television stations. Hagerty made the statement after meeting with spokesmen for the two media. He said no consideration was being given at the present time to live telecasts of the press conferences. Production in Italy Showed Rise in 1954 A total of 150 full-length features (four more than in 1953), 400 documentaries and 3()() newsreels were produced by the Italian film industry during 1954, according to final yearend figures released by ANICA. The Italian association maintains that Italy's producing record places that country second only to Hollywood on the world production scene. The use of color in 1954 production was increased considerably, with more than 55 per cent of all Italian motion pictures made in Ferraniacolor, Technicolor and other color processes. Budgets Up 15% During 1954, the Italian film industry spent approximately 35 billion lire, 15 per cent above the motion picture budget of 1953. This rise in film costs was mainly due to the increase in the production of highbudget spectacle films, it was pointed out. In 1954, Italian producers accomplished 1,800 contracts for the exportation of films which earned over six billion lire in foreign exchange, a sharp jump from 1950 when film earnings from foreign markets were under one billion lire. In the domestic market. Italian motion pictures earned 36 per cent of the 105 billion lire Italians spent for motion picture entertainment in 12,00,) theatres. MGM's 'Celebration' Pressbook Is Issued An elaborate 24-page pressbook outlining all details of M-G-M's "1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration" is being mailed to exhibitors. It is accompanied by a four by five-and-ahalf-inch brochure of 32 pages containing additional selling hints not contained in the pressbook. Produced under the direction of Howard Dietz, the pressbook contains suggestions for establishing both big-town and small-town cooperative effort, also many hints for the promotion, advertising and publicity-minded theatre owner. The forthcoming product of M-G-M is described and illustrated in detail. One of the outstanding features of the pressbook is a collection of newspaper editorials praising either motion pictures generally or M-G-M in particular. NEW YORK THEATRES RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL Rockefeller Center "DEEP IN MY HEART" In Glorious COLOR starring JOSE MERLE HELEN FERRER • OBERON • TRAUBEL An M-G-M Picture & The Music Hall's Great Christmas Stage Show MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kane, 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; Gus H. Pausel, Production Manager; Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building, Samuel D. Berns. Manager; William R. Weaver, Editor, Hollywood 7-2145; Chicago Bureau, 120 South I.aSalle Street, Urben Farley, Advertising Representative, FT 6-3074. 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 Better Refreshment Merchandising, 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 foreign; single copies, 10c.