Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

2 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, January 25, 1955 Gives Reasons Trade Pact Renewal Asked By Bell & Howell Executive WASHINGTON, Jan. 24. — Admitting that most people in the photographic manufacturing industry would probably disagree with him, Charles H. Percy, president of Bell & Howell Co., today urged the House Ways and Means Committee to approve the President's request for extension of the reciprocal trade agreements program. Percy noted that the industry has traditionally been a projectionistminded industry. "No one," he said, "desires more than I, the health and vigor of the photographic industry. But I do not believe we must gain these things through artificial trade barriers. I think we can, and we will, win them for ourselves in a freer, more competitive market." In most American industries, Percy said, the greater productivity _ of American workers offsets low foreign wages. He pointed out that his firm had recently developed a greatly-improved wide angle lens for motion picture cameras, and said that to determine whether to make it itself or to buy it made to its specifications, his firm secured quotations from a number of foreign manufacturers. It found that its own lens manufacturing division had the low price of all those quoted. "Despite the enormous disparity in hourly labor rates," he said, "the ingenious techniques developed by our staff produced so low a unit cost that even without tariff protection, our bid would still have been below that of our foreign competition. Without the spur of foreign competition, it is doubtful whether these techniques would ever have been developed." Personal Mention SPYROS P. SKOURAS, president of 20th Century-Fox, and Al Lichtman, distribution director, left here for the Coast yesterday. • Budd Rogers, Selznick Releasing Organization general sales manager, and Mrs. Rogers will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary on Thursday. • Leonard H. Goldenson, president of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, is in Hollywood from New York. • Wolfe Cohen, president of Warner Brothers International, will leave New York this week for London, France, Italy and Germany. George D. Burrows, Allied Artists executive vice-president and treasurer, returned to Hollywood yesterday from New York. George Cukor, director, will arrive in New York on Saturday from Hollywood and will leave here next Monday for London. • Ernie Emerling, advertising manager of Loew's Theatres, will be in New Haven tomorrow from New York. • Harry Fellerman, sales head of Universal-International's special films division, is in Washington from New York. • Wynn Rocamora, recently appointed artistic director of the Hollywood Bowl, has arrived in New York from the Coast. • Gertrude Katz, of Loew's Theatres advertising department, is recovering from surgery in Royal Hospital, Bronx. • George J. Schaefer, producers sales representative, has arrived on the Coast from New York. • B. G. Kranze, United Artists general sales manager, returned to New York yesterday from Florida. Sol Hurok, producer, left here yesterday for London via B.O.A.C. Monarch. Barbara O'Neill has left New York for Nassau via B.O.A.C. Bahamian. William H. Pine and William Thomas, producers, left Hollywood by plane yesterday for New York. • Janet Leigh has returned to Hollywood from New York. Salven Services Today HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 24.— Private services will be held tomorrow at Forest Lawn for Edward Salven, 51, assistant director long associated with Cecil B. De Mille, who died Saturday of pneumonia, after a brief illness. A sister and seven children survive. DCA to Distribute 'Stranger's Hand' Distributors Corp. of America will distribute Graham Green's "The Stranger's Hand" starring Trevor Howard, Alida Valli, Richard Basehart, Eduardo Cianelli and introducing a new juvenile, Richard O' Sullivan. It was produced by John Stafford and Peter Moore and directed by Mario Soldati. "The Stranger's Hand" brings to 10 the number of pictures lined up for release by DCA. Presently an extensive publicity and promotion campaign is going forward in New England where RCA's first release, "Long John Silver" starring Robert Newton, will open in more than 35 first run situations between Feb. 16 and 25. Other DCA product consists of "Lelia," "I Am A Camera," "The Viking," "Finian's Rainbow," "The Survivors" and "Hunters of the Deep." Goldwyn, Jr., Signs Mitchum for First Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., has signed Robert Mitchum to star in "The Deadly Peacemaker," an original Western film drama to be released by United Artists. "The Deadly Peacemaker" will be Goldwyn's first independent motion picture production. It will go into production in March and will be followed on the producer's schedule by "Sharkfighters," which is currently in preparation for United Artists release. Moss Hart III Due to his physician's insistence that he take a six-month respite from all writing assignments, Moss Hart will be unable to write the screenplay of "The Duchin Story," which Jerry Wald will produce and George Sidney will direct for Columbia Pictures. Levine, DiGennaro Win IFE Drive The final results of I.F.E. Releasing Corp.'s Bernard Jacon testimonial sales drive were computed last week with sales personnel from three different sections of the country finishing in top money positions. Phil Levine, New York branch manager, and Sal DiGennaro, New York representative, finished in first place after leading the field for several weeks. Glenn Fannin, former Dallas district manager who was recently promoted to central division manager, finished in second place, with Joe Nercesian, San Francisco representative finishing in the third money spot. The Bernard Jacon testimonial sales drive, I.F.E. 's first sales contest, was launched in September in honor of the distributing company's vice-president in charge of sales. Picture-Making Rule Out in the House WASHINGTON, Jan. 24.— House speaker Rayburn (D., Tex.) ruled today that newsreel, television and still cameras could not take pictures during House committee sessions. Rayburn ruled the same way in previous Democratic-controlled Congresses, but the question of picturetaking was left up to the committee chairmen in the Republican 83rd Congress. Rayburn said today that House committees are governed by the same rules as the House itself, and that picture taking must be done before or after sessions and not during sessions. The same applies to recording sessions. Oscar Doob Hurt _ Oscar A. Doob of M-G-M's advertising-publicity department sustained a broken shoulder in a taxi accident while vacationing in Nassau, Bahamas. He will return here on Thursday. News Roundup Willmark for Buena Vista Buena Vista Film Distributing Co., releasing subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions, has employed the facilities of the Willmark Service System, it was announced by Leo Samuels, the company's sales manager. Dividend Declared Consolidated Theatres, Ltd., of Canada, has declared a dividend of 13 cents on Class "A" common stock. The dividend is payable on March 1 to shareholders of record on Feb. 1. Vandals Damage Drive-In Vandals smashed the marquee at the entrance to the Somerset Family Drive-In, Fall River, Mass., and John E. Pirani, manager of the theatre, estimates damage at $700. After smashing glass plates, neon tubes and bulbs, the vandals broke into the snack bar, but nothing was stolen from the building. Registers as Lobbyist Herman M. Levy, general counsel of the Theatre Owners of America, and executive secretary of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Connecticut, has registered in Hartford as State Legislature lobbyist for the latter organization. Six Pictures Start; 26 in Production HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 24.— Start of six pictures and completion of three others increased the over-all shootinglevel of production to 26 as of the weekend. Started were : "Dark Venture," "Las Vegas Shakedown" and "Spy Catchers," (Allied Artists) ; "The Calico Pony," Copa Prods., CinemaScope, Technicolor (Columbia) ; "The Private War of Major Benson," (Universal International) ; "Blood Alley," Batjac Prods., CinemaScope, WarnerColor (Warner Bros.). Completed were: "Rebound," Film Locations Prods., Technicolor (Columbia) ; "Man From Texas," (Republic ) ; "Moby Dick," CinemaScope, Technicolor (Warner Bros.). 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