Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

MOTION PICTURE VOL. 77. NO. 21 NEW YORK, U.S.A., MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 1955 TEN CENTS COMPO Survey Reports Better PressRelations With Industry Mandel Says Missionary Work Now Is Paying Off The motion picture industry's press relations have shown marked improvement in the last year, it was revealed yesterday by Harry Mandel of RKO Theatres, chairman of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations press relations committee, in releasing results of a nation-wide press survey conducted by COMPO regional press relations groups. A tabulation of press relations reports covering 102 cities and towns showed that the attitude of the nation's newspaper editors toward the industry is generally sympathetic, Mandel said. "The intensive missionary work done by COMPO regional press groups during the successful tax campaign," Mandel asserted, "made many newspaper editors realize that there (Continued on page 5) Wm. Goldman Leases Erlanger in Phila. William Goldman, Philadelphia circuit operator, and Lawrence Shuberl Lawrence, head of a chain of Shubert theatres under the direction of J. J. Shubert, announced the completion of negotiations for a long term lease on the Erlanger Theatre, Philadelphia. This house was the focal point of the anti-trust proceedings by Goldman against the major film companies and Warner Brothers Theatres. The theatre has been spasmodically presenting legitimate shows over the past several years and under the (Continued on page 4) To Honor Paramount Feb. 10 W. Y. Film Producers Talk New SAG Pact John Wheeler, attorney for the Film Producers Association of New York, will leave here today for Los Angeles to open negotiations with the Screen Actors Guild for a new contract concerning the production and use of filmed TV commercials. The current contract, signed some two years ago, expires on March 1. It was in the current pact that the principle of "repayment for re-use" was introduced and, as one of its (Continued on page 4) 'Fame 9 Achievement Award To Freeman for Wis ion From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 30. — Paramount Pictures Corp., in the person oj Y. Frank Freeman, vice-president in charge of studio, has been selected by the editors of FAME magazine to be the recipient of the 1955 FAME Achievement Award, in recognition of the development of VistaVision. Frank Freeman Martin Quigley will present the Award to Freeman at a luncheon to be held in the Paramount Studio Commissary on Feb. 10. Members of the H o llywood press corps, studio officials, stars and others have been invited to attend. The inscription on the award to Freeman states that he is being presented with "This Achievement Award in recognition of the notable contribution of VistaVision to the art and industry of motion pictures ; and for the enthusiasm and leadership which made possible this enrichment of the potentialities of the screen." The 1955 FAME Achievement Award is the second to be made ; the annual recognition having been inaugurated only last year. Spyros P. Skouras, 20th Century-Fox president, Was the recipient of the 1954 Award for the development and introduction of CinemaScope ; "and for the widening of mankind's horizons of knowledge, inspiration and entertainment realized by this new technique." With Paramount's first release in (Continued on page 4) Publish New Edition Of Production Code A new edition of the industry's Production Code, just published, is being distributed by the Motion Picture Association of America to trade, public information sources, schools and librarians. Gordon White, Eastern representative of the Production Code Administration, said the new edition replaces one that had been exhausted and incorporates Code amendments adopted by the MPAA board last September and in 1952, neither of which were embodied in the older edition. 20th Sets 17 Through Sept. In line with its goal of 24 CinemaScope productions for release this year, 20th Century-Fox has announced an eight-month, program of 17 CinemaScope attractions covering the period of February through September. The entire line-up will be in color. An average of two CinemaScope pictures will be released each month during the eight-month span, designed to be pre-sold by promotional campaigns employing all media of contact with the public, the company said. CinemaScope productions featured in the release roster are : "The Racers," "White Feather," both in February ; "Untamed," in (Continued on page 4) Cite $30,000,000 'Carry' for RKO The estimated $30,000,000 capitalloss-carry-forward figure for RKO Pictures was repeated in the year-end financial statement of the company, released at the weekend. The statement, signed by president James R. Grainger, said that the company had been advised that, under the new Federal tax code, its substantial capital tax loss presently continues to be a capital-loss-carry-forward available under appropriate circumstances as a set-off against capital gains, if (Continued on page 4) Uruguay Festival Ends Officially Today PUNTA DEL ESTE, Uruguay, Jan. 30. — Final showing of the 80 full length and short films from the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Argentine and Brazil, competing for prizes in Uruguay's giant Film Festival here were run off over the weekend. The Festival's winners — films, players and (Continued on page 4) Survey Reveals Good Off -Hour Year Predicted In Theatre TV Color Does Not Loom As A Possibility in 1955 By MURRAY HOROWITZ The programming accent in the theatre TV field for 1955 appears to be in the off-hour commercial area, according to a Motion Picture Daily survey of theatre TV interests. Programming possibilities also loom for top-notch outdoor boxing matches, the opera and perhaps the telecasting of a legitimate Broadway stage show. Interviewed in the survey were Nathan Halpern, president of Theatre Network Television ; William Rosensohn, vice-president of Box Office Television, and representatives of television-equipped circuits. Present in the background of many of those interviewed, especially exhibitors, were the possibilities of color theatre television, now being pioneered by 20th Century-Fox, Radio (Continued on page 5) NARTB Denies It's Anti-Toll TV WASHINGTON, Jan. 30. — The National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters has officially denied Zenith Radio's charges that an NARTB statement to the Federal Communications Commission amounted to opposition to subscription television. NARTB president Harold Fellows early this month urged the FCC not to approve Zenith's request for immediate authorization of subscription television without a hearing, d'eclar( Continued on page 4) Toll TV Committee And Counsel Confer Additional moves in the joint exhibitor committee opposing subscription television program were discussed when attorney Marcus Cohn of the Washington law firm of Cohn & Marks conferred here at the weekend with top committee members. The exhibitor committee opposing toll-TV had retained Cohn & Marks as counsel in filing an opposition brief to the Zenith Radio Corp. petition now pending before the Federal (Continued on page 4)