Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

2 Motion Picture Daily Monday, February 7, 1955 Personal Mention EDWARD L. HYMAN, vicepresident of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, has left New York for Chicago and Des Moines. • Robert M. Weitman, American Broadcasting Co. vice-president in charge of talent and programming, will return to New York today from Hollvwood and Las Vegas. Roy O. Disney, president of Walt Disney Productions, and Card Walker, advertising director, will arrive in New York today from the Coast. Jerry Pickmax, vice-president of advertising publicity exploitation for Paramount, will arrive in Hollywood todav for a week of studio conferences. Irwin Pizor, son of William Pizor, vice-president of Lippert Productions, left at the weekend for an extended tour of Europe. Alexander McDonald of Douglas Fairbanks, Ltd., will return to London todav via B.O.A.C. Monarch. Loren Ryder, Paramount studio technical director, arrived here yesterday from Hollywood. • Milton Sperling, producer, will leave Hollywood by plane today for New York. Ira Stevens Named NFS General Mgr. Ira S. Stevens has been appointed general manager of National Film Service, Inc., it was announced by Chester M. Ross, executive vice-president. Steven's new duties will not only include complete administrative supervision of National Film Service's home office activities, but will also include sales and liaison with film distributors. This appointment completes the_ realignment of National Film Service's offices, which has resulted in the reelection of James P. Clark of Philadelphia as president and treasurer and Clint Weyer of Philadelphia as secretary. Stevens, who resigned as treasurer of Cinerama Productions Corp., will continue as a member of the board of directors of that company. Broidy to Be Named To AMPP's Board HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 6. — Steve Broidy, president of Allied Artists, will be named a member of the board of directors of the Association of Motion Picture Producers at the regular monthly meeting of the AMPP which is scheduled to be held here tomorrow. Eugene Arnstein, studio manager of AA, will represent the company on the labor committee of the producer association. New Techniques Credited (Continued from page 1) Loew's OK that the improvement in business was due more to the new processes than to dramatic content of recent films. " The coincidence of new projection processes with a stabilizing of public viewing of television shows" was called by Crowther "the most important factor in the revival of the motion picture industry." Furthermore, he added, "the great physical difference between the visual impact of the two media has been emphasized and made dramatic by the new wide-screen projection devices." Pryor Scans Cost Problem In his review of production, Pryor stated that rising costs still are a serious problem, "but have been arrested somewhat through a new pattern of cooperative, or share-the-cost, production policy between management and talent. "Although the future looks bright for Hollywood," he went on, "it is acknowledged that continued prosperity depends on the ability to improve the quality of entertainment and, beyond that, on a stable world economy." Concluding, Pryor maintained that "all signs point toward a decrease rather than an increase in picture production. The stakes are high and the studios, no longer compelled to turn out film to feed their former voracious theatre affiliates, are thinking mainly of their own profit position." Reviewing exhibition, Weiler said theatre owners "take heart from the fact that the definite rise appears to be continuing with gathering strength in 1955. The one thing the theatre men insist on, even, in the light of the new prosperity, is the necessity of a formula for percentage rentals that will permit them to clear a profit reasonably. Unless such a formula is worked out — unless a flow of product and feasible rental terms are arranged — higher admission prices will be inevitable, they reckon, and a vicious cycle may begin over again," he concluded. M. H. Friedlob to Produce 3 Within 18 Months To Give Theatrical Picture TV Debut Bert E. Friedlob, in association with screenwriter Casey Robinson, will produce a program of three topbudget wide-screen motion pictures within the next year and a half on an independent status, it was revealed here at the weekend by the producer of 20th Century-Fox's CmemaScope production of "Untamed." Following the March 11 opening of his latest film at the Roxy Theatre here, Friedlob, in a trade press interview, announced that he will begin production on "News Is Made at Night," a screenplay which Robinson wrote from the novel "Bloody Spur." Friedlob, who is in New York to set promotional activities for "Untamed," said that he will make "Seven Nights in Paris," a musical film, and "Maracaibo," hoping to complete^ his production plans by mid-1956. "No distribution deals have been set as yet on any of my three pictures," the veteran film maker said. Commenting on the sale of some of his old pictures to television, "A Millionaire for Christy" and "Fireball," the former being only four years old, Friedlob said that he expects to receive from $75,000 to $100,000 as additional income from the TV showings. "When a distribution company has obtained all the theatre playdates it could for a picture, and the producer owns the negative, I see no reason for not allowing the film to be sold for TV presentation," Friedlob said. An experiment under which the world premiere of a picture will be presented on television will be undertaken by Draw Poker Films, recently organized by Houston and Dallas business men and headed by George Leppert of New Orleans. Leppert said here at the weekend that the test would be made on "Accent Spain," which will go into production in Spain on May 1. Under the plan, the picture would be shown on a TV network on what he called a "one-night stand" arrangement. At the end of the picture, a trailer will state that the film may be seen in color at a local theatre. The network and the local theatres would pay for the telecast, Leppert said. A second project, Leppert said, will be an untitled Texas comedy for which Tay Garnett has been signed to direct. Mari Aldon, featured in "The Barefoot Contessa," and Peter Damon will co-star. Garnett, he said, will direct the picture on a percentage basis. As to distribution on the latter picture, Leppert said that for a "nominal" sum, a releasing organization would be given half of the North American rights. Bryna's 1st UA Film Is 'Indian Fighter' Kirk Douglas has selected "The Indian Fighter" as the first picture to be made by his new independent company, Bryna Productions^ for United Artists release under his recently signed six-picture agreement. Screen Gems Ad Post To Henry S. White Reorganization of the advertising and promotion department of Screen Gems, Inc., television subsidiary of Columbia Pictures has been announced by Ralph M. Cohn, vice president and general manager. Henry S. White has been named director of advertising and promotion, replacing Elihu E. Harris. Harris will continue with Screen Gems in an executive capacity which will be announced shortly. Frank Young, press manager, now ; will report directly to Cohn. (Continued from page 1) 26 theatres that were supposed to be separated from Loew's under the consent decree, the Lyric, in Bridgeport, Conn., has been sold. Murphy, conveying Loews' policy, said the acquisition of the Twin-Oak does not incidate any expansion program. He added, however, that if any proposition looks interesting, Loew's Theatres now is in i position to look into it. The court, in approving the acquisition, pointed out that the consent decree allows the circuit to acquire new theatres if such acquisitions will not unduly restrain competition. 1,500 Attend (Continued from page 1) fast was Robert W. Coyne, executive director of the Council of Motion Picture Organizations. The Rt. Rev. Msgr. John J. McClafferty, dean of Catholic LTniversity's School of Social Service, delivered the main address. The principal lay speakers were George Murphy and Lillian Roth. Among the guests seated at the dais were Kate Cameron, N. Y. "Daily News" motion picture critic ; Brian Sullivan of the Metropolitan opera; Una O'Connor ; the Rev. Thomas F. Little, executive secretary of the Legion of Decency ; and the Right Rev. Msgr. Philip J. Furlong, P.A., who represented Cardinal Spellman. The fourth annual Communion Breakfast for Catholics in the Los Angeles area will be held next Sunday at the Hollywood Palladium. Warners Still Silent On TV Film Making From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 6.— Reports that Warner Brothers will enter television-film production, on a basis similar to Columbia Pictures, continued to circulate here at the weekend in view of the studio's declining to deny or confirm. The report had Jack M. Warner, who has been engaged in various production activities at the studio for some time, taking charge of the company's telefilm project, which was said to contemplate making its own telefilms at its own studio exclusively. Edwards-Cistrand Settle Out of Court HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 6— An antitrust suit against major distributors, demanding more than $5,000,000, and filed jointly by Edwards Theatre Circuit, Inc., and Cistrand Theatres, Ltd., operating the Alhambra and Garfield theatres respectively, both in Alhambra, Calif., has been dismissed by Federal Judge Harry C. Westover following settlement out of court for what plaintiffs called a substantial sum. Plaintiffs had charged that the defendants withheld product from them until neighboring communities had exhausted its first run value. ^rnTTrvxr PTPTTT'RF DAILY Martin Ouigley Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwin Kape, Editor. Published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays by Quigley Publishing MOTION ?I^^^^venue, . Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Telephone Circle 7_-310a Cable addressj '^Quigpubco, New York." Martin Quigley, President^ Martin Company, Inc.. "ice-t ^Ia'cL^W^'s^1' Street ^ 6-3074. Washington, J. A. Otten', National Press Club, Washington, D. C. London Bureau, 4"^^^^!^ lurnupUManager; Peter Burnupg Editor; cable address, ^^SS^^S^J^J^^^^ ^i^^^^tl and Better Refreshment second-clas: copies, 10c. fp'Tev ' Tr " Vice-President Theo' J. Sullivan, Vice-President and Treasurer; Raymond Levy, Vice-President; _Leo J. Brady, Secretary ; Al Steen,_News Editor; Herbert V. Fecke, ",us H. Pause!, Production Ma ith LaSalle Street, Urben Far! t' MerchaMd^m^ 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 uction Manager; Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building, Samuel D. Berns, Manager; William R. Weaver, Editor, Hollywood 7-2145; Advertising Managei , u a m.4.~~ int.,*; 1 r> w-,„v,j„<r(-™ n r T ~r,^n Ti.ii-paii Chicago Bureau, 120 Si 4 Golden Sq., London