Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

2 Motion Picture Daily Monday, February 21, 1955 Personal Mention CHARLES EINFELD, 20th Century-Fox vice-president ; Edward E. Sullivan, publicity manager ; Meyer Hutner, associate publicity manager, and Leo Pillot, special events director, will leave New York today for Lancaster, Pa. • Sam Rosen, executive vice-president of Stanley Warner ; Harry Kalmine, vice-president and general manager ; Harry Goldberg, advertising and publicity director ; Lester Isaac, in charge of Cinerama exhibition, and Arthur Rosen, Cinerama production executive, have returned here from Philadelphia. • Jules B. Weill, president of Fortune Features, and Mrs. Weill will sail from here on Wednesday aboard the "Liberte" for Europe. • Fred C. Matthews, Motiograph executive vice-president, has left Chicago for an extended tour of Southern cities. • Win Min Than, Burmese actress, arrived in New York on Saturday from Rangoon, via London and B.O.A.C. • Charles Smadja, United Artists vice-president in charge of European production, returned to the Continent over the weekend from New York. • Marty Blau, Columbia Pictures publicist, who was married at the weekend to Cynthia Klein, is honeymooning in the Virgin Islands. • W. Parkman Rankin, manager of film advertising for "This Week" magazine, has left New York for two weeks in Hollywood. • Al Lichtman, 20th Century-Fox director of distribution, left here on Friday for a 10-day stay in Hollywood. • Carlo Ponti and Dino de Laurentiis, Italian producers, left New York over the weekend for Rome. • E. S. Gregg, president of Westrex Corp., has left New York by plane for Hollywood. Charles Reagan, Loew's M-G-M director of distribution, left here at the weekend for the Coast. • Jack Labow, RKO Radio Canadian district manager, returned to Toronto over the weekend from New York. • Magda Gabor left here on Saturday for Nassau via B.O.A.C. Bahamian. No Paper Tomorrow MOTION PICTURE DAILY will not be published tomorrow, Washington's Birthday, a legal holiday. Cambridge Theatre Has Own Cocktail Lounge; Player-Piano and Everything Special to THE DAILY CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 20.— The Brattle Theatre here is the only New England theatre with a cocktail lounge. Cyrus Harvey, Jr., and Bryant Halliday, young Harvard graduates, who operate the 350-seat art house, have opened the "Casablanca" in the basement of the theatre. It has two entrances, one from the theatre and the other from the street. Early-day posters and a 1910-vintage player-piano grinds out piano-roll tunes. Patrons must sign a membership card upon entering the club. In this way, the owners are able to prohibit students and others under 21 years of age from entering. Chicago Area 'Dimes' Collections Up 10% CHICAGO, Feb. 20.— Latest figures reveal that theatres in Cook County through lobby collections taken up during the week of Jan. 7-13, raised $21,204 for the 1955 March of Dimes, according to an announcement by Jack Kirsch, president of Allied Theatres of Illinois, who was Cook County theatre chairman for the 1955 polio fund raising campaign. This figure, according to Kirsch, exceeds last year's theatre collections by at least 10 per cent. Commenting on the results of the theatre collection, Kirsch said : "The motion picture theatres in the Cook County area can feel proud of this achievement as this very substantial amount of money will help the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in its goal of licking polio. B&K in Lead Following is a break-down of the amounts collected by the various theatre groups : Allied Theatres, $6,161 ; Balaban & Katz Corp., $9,789; Coston Enterprises, $1,070; Essaness Theatres, $941; H & E Balaban, $1,108; Stanley Warner, $1,103, and other independent theatres, $1,120. Jack Kirsch Scott on Tour Gordon Scott, who makes his debut as the 11th screen Tarzan in Sol Lesser's "Tarzan's Hidden Jungle" will tour the South in connection with local openings of the RKO release, he revealed Friday at a breakfast interview for the trade press at the Hotel Warwick. Beginning tomorrow Scott will stop off in Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans to meet exhibitors and the local press and to appear on local TV and radio programs promoting the picture. Gets 'Chandra' Music Fred Fisher Music Co. has acquired from Hoffberg Productions, the exclusive rights to the music from "Chandra," said to be India's first million-dollar musical. Rejects Allegations In Percentage Suit AIKEN, S. C, Feb. 20.— -District Judge C. C. Wyche, of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of South Carolina, struck from the answers of exhibitor-defendants, in eight distributors' percentage fraud suits pending here, allegations that the license agreements for the motion pictures involved in the suits were illegal and void under the antitrust laws, on the ground that such defenses were insufficient as a matter of law. The order was entered in actions brought by Paramount, Universal, Loew's, United Artists, RKO Radio, Columbia, 20th Century-Fox and Warner Brothers, against Herbert B. Ram, Esther R. Ram, Sam Bogoslawsky, Jacob Bogoslawsky, Max Bogoslawsky and Ram Amusement Co., as operators of a number of theatres in the Aiken-Augusta area, for damages resulting from claimed under-reporting of box office receipts. Allegations 'Insufficient' The court held that, in such suits, defendants' "allegations and defenses relating to the alleged anti-trust illegality of the contracts in suit" were "insufficient as a matter of law and should be stricken." The distributor-plaintiffs were represented by C. T. Graydon, of Columbia, S. C. ; T. Sam Means, Jr., of Spartanburg, S. C. ; Kenneth C. Royall, of Dwight, Royall, Harris, Koegel & Caskey and Sargoy & Stein, of New York. Glasgow Debut for 'Man Called Peter' GLASGOW, Feb. 20.— In tribute to Peter Marshall, who was born and spent his early years here, civic plans are being formulated for the world premiere of "A Man Called Peter," 20th Century-Fox's CinemaScope filmization of the minister's life story. The event, to take place early in April, will mark the first premiere of any CinemaScope production simultaneous with openings in the United States. In attendance will be a galaxy of dignitaries from the civic, political, social and business world and leading clergymen of all faiths, according to plans. Sir Alexander King, exhibitor and producer, is serving as head of a special premiere committee which is mobilizing citizens from all walks of life to participate in honoring the memory of the native son who rose to international prominence as chaplain of the United States Senate. News Roundup Oppose Drive-in Bill Tennessee outdoor exhibitors are preparing to oppose a proposed bill which would require drive-in theatres to have their screens obscured from the roads by 1960. Purpose of the measure is to lessen distraction to automobile drivers. Empire to Add 3 Empire Studios of Orlando, Fla., which made "Yellowneck" for Republic release, will produce three additional pictures for that company. The films will be delivered in the 1955-56 season. ■ Five in Ultrascope The completion of five in a series of six short subjects produced in Europe in Ultrascope, new anamorphic process, has been announced by Gene Sharon, producer for Transatlantic Productions. Wins Detroit Contest Grace Kelly was elected the favorite "new face" in the Detroit "Free Press" contest. Jack Palance placed second,. The contest was initiated five years ago. New 'Luther' Outlets Safer Film Distributors of Indianapolis and Lippert Pictures of the Midwest, Omaha, have been named new sales representatives for Louis de Rochemont Associates' "Martin Luther." Hits 'Prison' Ban Columbia Pictures has called the Memphis and Shelby County Board of Censors ban of "The Bamboo Prison" "ridiculous" and has indicated that an appeal is being considered. Stamp Collectors Meet The Cinema Stamp Collectors will hear Henry Goodkind, secretary of the Philatelic Foundation, discuss the foundation's activities at a meeting of the collectors on Wednesday. Leon Bamberger is president of the cinema group. I .-J imifiiiiiM^^^"- GET TO YOU QUICKER ARE ALWAYS BETTER! Send Us Your Next Order And We Will Prove It To You. flEECT 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. Fausel, Production Manager; Hollywood Bureau, Yucca-Vine Building. Samuel D. Berns, Manager; William R. Weaver, Editor, Hollywood 7-2145; Chicago Bureau, 120 South LaSalle Street, Urben Farley, Advertising Representative, FI 6-3074. Washington, J. A. Otten, National Press Club, Washington, D. C. London Bureau, ♦ 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.