Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

Motion Picture Daily Monday, March 7, 1955 Personal Mention PAUL N. LAZARUS, Jr., Columbia Pictures vice-president in charge of advertising-publicity, left here at the weekend for a vacation in Nassau, B.W.I. • Lynn Farnol, of Lynn Farnol Associates, on Friday received a Doctor of Laws degree at Florida Southern College, where he gave the convocation address on "The Intangibles of Communication." • Irvin H. Levin, president of Filmakers Releasing Organization, and Harry Mandell, vice-president, left Hollywood Friday for New York, Chicago and Detroit. • William B. Zoellner, head of M-G-M shorts and newsreel sales, will arrive in St. Louis today from Kansas City. • Ned E. Depinet will leave Tucson, Ariz., tomorrow for Dallas to attend the Claude Ezell testimonial dinner there on Wednesday. • Johnny Green, head of the M-G-M studio music department, will return to Hollywood tomorrow from New York. • Anthony Boscardone, owner of the Colonial Theatre, Canaan, Conn., is a patient at the Sharon (Conn.) Hospital. • Gregory Ratoff, director, returned to New York from London on Saturday via B.O.A.C. Monarch. • Jack Shaindlin, musical director, and Mrs. Shaindlin have returned to New York from Florida. • Hillary Watson, theatre sales representative for B.O.A.C, will leave New York tomorrow for Los Angeles. • Ralph Martin, of the magazine "Seventeen," returned to New York at the weekend from Miami. Val Parnell, London exhibitor, returned to England from New York late last week via B.O.A.C. • James Stewart has returned to Hollywood following a trip to Hawaii and the Far East. Ned Clarke, Buena Vista foreign sales manager, has returned to New York from Europe. U.A. to Finance Wilde's 'Storm Fear' United Artists will finance and distribute "Storm Fear," which will be produced by Cornel Wilde's newlyformed Theodora Productions. Wilde also will star in his own picture. The agreement with UA marks the second production venture for Theodora, which co-produced "The Big Combo" with Security Pictures for Allied Artists release. Editorial (Continued from page 1) tarian organization and its works. Skouras has served the Red Cross as an industry campaign leader for seven consecutive years. His urging to exhibitors is not given lightly nor without understanding of the reluctance to make audience collections, and the reasons for it, that some of them have. His appeal is not addressed to those exhibitors who annually conduct audience collections for the Red Cross but to those who have put off doing so from year to year. They are urged to "pass the hat" this month and learn for themselves the wide acceptance Red Cross solicitation has won from the public, an acceptance which extends also to those who do the Red Cross work. Col. David Rose In 3-Picture Deal A three-picture deal was signed over the weekend between Columbia Pictures and David E. Rose, under the terms of which the producer will make for Columbia release a trio of top-budget films. First of these will be "Port Afrique," based on the novel by Bernard Dryer. Rose recently completed for Columbia "The End of the Affair," film version of Graham Greene's novel starring Deborah Kerr, Van Johnson and John Mills. The film, which was produced in England, is scheduled for release this spring. Film Council Group To Sponsor 'Romeo' The Federation of Motion Picture Councils of America will sponsor its first film premiere when United Artists' "Romeo and Juliet" opens at the Art Theatre in Springfield, Mass., on March 9. Proceeds from the benefit bow will be used to send delegates from the Springfield Council to the Federation's first annual convention, which opens at the Statler Hotel in Detroit on April 14. Arranged by the Springfield Council officers and Arthur deBra, director of community relations for the MPAA, the "Romeo" premiere is receiving city-wide support from Mayor Daniel B. Brunton and his staff, the Board of Education, church groups and scores of civic organizations. Form WOMPI Unit CHARLOTTE, N. C, March 6.— Charlotte chapter of the Women of the Motion Picture Industry will be formed here next Saturday. All women who have been employed by firms engaged in the industry here have been invited to attend the March 12 luncheon meeting to be held at the Barringer Hotel. Value of Publicity Told at KMTA Meet KANSAS CITY, March 6.— The value of publicity to the drive-in operator was stressed at the closing session of the convention here held by the Kansas-Missouri Theatre Association. Pearce Parkhurst, drive-in operator of Lansing, Mich., urged the exhibitor delegates to read every available book on publicity, as well as the trade papers serving the industry. Additionally, Parkhurst emphasized the value of using community resources in order to keep the name of the theatre constantly before the public. Among these resources he included newspaper teasers, restaurant menus, radio spots and free-ticket stunts. The feature of the closing day of the convention was the M-G-M Ticket-Selling Workshop under the direction of Mike Simons, director of customer relations, and Emery Austin, director of exploitation. Attendance at the closing session was 441. See No Filming of House Unit Meetings WASHINGTON, March 6. — House Rules' Committee members indicated there is little chance of their approving a resolution to permit filming and broadcasting of House committee sessions. They indicated this during and after hearing three members — Representatives Meader (R., Mich.), Keating (R., N. Y. ) and Brownson (R., Ind. ) — assert that House rules be changed to permit newsreel and television cameras to operate during these committee sessions. Speaker Rayburn ( D., Tex.) ruled at the opening of this Congress that House rules barred newsreel and TV cameras during committee meetings, and the rules committee attitude indicates that Rayburn's stand is not likely to be reversed. 'Deeds,' 'Gilda' Back On Broadway Friday "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" and "Gilda," two of the most successful productions of Columbia Pictures, will return to a Broadway first-run house here on Friday. The pair will be shown as a double bill at the Globe theatre. "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur, was first released in 1936. "Gilda," with Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford, appeared 10 years later. Dividends Declared On 2 RCA Stocks A quarterly dividend of 25 cents per share on the common stock of the Radio Corp. of America, payable on April 25 to holders of record March 15, 1955, was announced by David Sarnoff, chairman of the board. A dividend of 87¥z cents per share also was declared on the first preferred stock for the period April 1 to June 30, 1955, payable July 1 to holders of record on June 13. News Roundup All-Italian Program The Film Library of the Museum of Modern Art will present "50 Years of Italian Cinema," starting March 21. Approximately 30 Italian films, many of which have never been shown in the United States, will be offered. The first will be "The Taking of Rome," produced in 1905. Drive-in Fire in S. C. The concession stand and all booth equipment were destroyed in a fire that swept the Sunset Drive-in Theatre in Jackson, S. C. Hearst to Speak in Albany William Randolph Hearst, Jr., will speak of his recent experiences in Russia at a civic luncheon in Albany on March 21, sponsored by the Albany Variety Club and the Albany "TimesUnion." Proceeds from the $5 luncheon will go to the Variety-Albany Boys' Club Camp Thacher. Radio Active, Says RETMA More than 6,000,000 radio receivers were shipped to dealers during 1954, according to the Radio-ElectronicsTelevision Manufacturers Association. In 1953, RETMA reported, 7,243,073 radios were shipped. Reopen Chicago Drive-ins The majority of drive-ins in the Chicago area opened over the weekend. Among them was the Twin, recently taken over by Loew's, which presented "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" on one screen and "Tonight's the Night" on the other. 7 DAYS IN HAWAII $469 (from New York), including round-trip transportation and hotel accommodations Fly United DC-6 air tourist service all the way, with stopover on the West Coast, if you like. Only United features 2abreast seating and wide center aisles on all planes. COMPARE THE FARE AND YOU'LL GO BY AIR MOTION PICTURE DAILY, Martin Quigley, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; Sherwir. Kane, Editor. Published daily except Saturdavs, 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, YuccaVine 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. 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