Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1955)

4 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, June 29, 1955 Rhoden Talks Cinerama Deal (Continued from page 1) NFFC Head Wants Free Convertibility Free convertibility of sterling was favored here yesterday by David Kingsley, managing director of the British National Film Finance Corp. Kingsley, in response to a question, said such a step "would be a great help to us in setting up films which need dollar expenditures." Speaking as an individual, he added, however, that the possibility of such a move unfortunately seems "some way off." People Eugene Picker, vice-president of Loew's Theatres, has announced the promotion of Mary Kirkwood, former assistant manager of Loew's in Jersey City, to acting manager of Loew's 83rd St. in Manhattan, and of Leonard Edwards, assistant, Loew's State, Newark, to the managership of Loew's Rio, 160th St. and Broadway. Allie Bernstein, manager of the Rio and a veteran in the Loew ranks, will retire shortly. n Simon Lazarus has leased his Lyric Theatre, Monrovia, Calif., to Eddie Deir. n Vivian Schertz, formerly of Omaha's Film Row, has returned there as secretary to Joe Jacobs, Columbia branch manager. a Dimitri Tiomkin has been elected to the highest order within the ranks of Societe de Auteurs, Compositeurs, Editeurs et Musiciens. □ Ray McNamara of the Allyn Theatre, Hartford, has been elected a director of the Greater Hartford Cerebral Palsy Association. n Robert A. Sherman has been appointed assistant to the comptroller of Kodak Park Works, Rochester. Kansas 'Moon' Case Going to High Court TOPEKA, Kans., June 28.— Holmby Productions intend to appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court the banning in this state of "The Moon Is Blue," according to papers filed here with Walter Neibarger, clerk of the Kansas Supreme Court. The Kansas Supreme Court some time ago ruled that the Kansas Board of Review had authority to ban the showing of the film. Weshner Assignment David E. (Skip) Weshner has been appointed producer's representative for "News Is Made at Night," Bert E. Friedlob's first independent production for United Artists release, which is now before the cameras in Hollywood under Fritz Lang's direction. he has had previous talks on the utilization of "This Is Cinerama." Right now, he acknowledged, NT has a system, but at this point no film to exhibit. He said NT had no plans to demonstrate the system in the East, although he welcomed industry representatives who wanted to view the system at the Melrose Theatre, Hollywood. In reference to Rhoden's stock acquisition, the NT president declined to reveal the purchase price which was reported in financial circles here to have been $12 per share. Acquisition of the shares is understood to bring NT management's holding's to more than 500,000 shares. The stock is widely held and there are few large, individual owners. Rhoden denied that the management group is negotiating for the 65,000 shares held by the Charles Skouras estate, and a previous denial was made by a General Precision Equipment official that the 60,000 shares held by that company are for sale. Those are the only large blocks known to be outstanding under single ownership. There had been financial district re Joint Talks (Continued from page 1) was attended by Universal president Milton Rackmil, vice-president and world-wide sales manager Alfred DafF, vice-president and general sales manager Charles Feldman and assistant to the general sales manager Ray Moon. Neither WB nor Universal, nor the committee would comment yesterday on the meetings, set up by the joint group in what the latter described as its "all-out effort" to establish harmony in the industry. The topics of discussion, based on previous exhibition-distribution meets, apparently ranged from an exhibition plea for a liberalization of sales terms to the problems created by the short supply of product. Today, the committee plans to confer with Republic in the morning and Allied Artists in the afternoon, completing its scheduled roster of individual company conferences which included 20th Century-Fox, Paramount, Loew's, Columbia, and RKO Radio Pictures. Representing the joint committee at yesterday's meetings were E. D. Martin and Walter Reade, Jr., of TOA, and Rube Shor, Wilbur Snaper, Ben Marcus and Irving Dollinger, of Allied. 1,545 U.K. Theatres Get Quota Relief From THE DAILY Bureau LONDON, June 28.— The Cinematograph Films Council annual report issued today reveals that the Board of Trade granted Quota relief to 1,545 theatres here in the 1954-'55 period. In addition, it granted total exemption from Quota provisions to 165 theatres. The Board rejected 345 application's for relief, but granted 644 applications for relief with respect to supporting program pictures. The present Quota is 30 per cent for first features, and 25 per cent for supporting programs. ports earlier that an outside group had been negotiating for all three of the above blocks of NT stock, not to gain control of the company so much as to obtain representation on its board in the hope of influencing policy in the direction of liquidation of some of the vast real estate holdings of the company. Regarding possible theatre expansion, Rhoden said, "Certainly we're going to acquire theatres." However, he denied that NT had any "great expansion movement" under way, explaining that NT is interested in theatres which will "complement" its holdings in areas already occupied by the company, whether they be drive-ins or conventional houses. He added that the acquisitions, too, will be "where permitted" by the Justice Department. Asked if he had any talks with Justice Department officials in Washington, Rhoden replied in the affirmative although declining any comment on the talks. He was reported to have discussed possible production for Cine-Miracle and other matters. Rhoden said he planned to leave here for the Coast tomorrow. US Tells Allied (Continued, from page 1) Department has assured Allied that it does attempt to get and investigate all relevant facts as to the effect an acquisition might have on independent exhibitors, and that it tries to make sure that there is full publicity in the trade press on the proposed acquisition, so that exhibitors can bring to the Department any pertinent information. The reply indicates that exhibitors cannot present this information directly to the court, but that Justice will be careful to represent the independent exhibitors adequately in any of these cases. Denies Defendants' Plea in Miami Suit Federal Judge Edward Weinfeld, in New York Federal Court yesterday, denied a motion for summary judgment by the defendants in an anti-trust case brought by Tivoli Theatres, Inc., of Miami, and its trustees. The suit was filed in 1951 and sought damages totalling $792,000. The case will go to trial here in the fall. Defendants were 20th-Fox, Paramount, Columbia, Warner Brothers, RKO Radio and their subsidiaries. Henry Pearlman, New York attorney, represented the plaintiffs. Lemmon in ATV Post Jack L. Lemmon, formerly accountexecutive at Transfilm, Inc., has assummed his new duties as vice-president of ATV Film Productions in charge of sales. He will divide his time between the New York executive offices and the studios in Long Island City. 'Foy' Grosses Strong Paramount's "The Seven Little Foys" grossed $26,000 in its first week at the Paramount Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and $75,000 during its first week at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, the film company revealed here yesterday. Paris Theatre Meet Aimed at Rentals By HENRY KAHN PARIS, June 28. — Approximately 1,000 exhibitors from many parts of the Continent are expected here July 6 and 7 for a meeting of the International Union, with film rental terms high on the agenda. French exhibitors in particular are upset by rising percentage terms and probably will be the first national body to carry out any resolution on the subject passed by the meeting. New UK Pact (Continued, from page 1) in Britain's dollar position there is little likelihood that free convertibility will be agreed to. Neither is the point regarded as being particularly important to the American industry since, tor several years past, it has. been able to use up all of its blocked sterling in one way or another under the many conditions of the agreement. Expires on Sept. 24 The present one year agreement expires on Sept. 24 and permits the remission without qualifications of a basic $18,000,000. In recent years the agreement has been renewed with only minor differences from year to year. Eric Johnston is now on the West Coast and except for a brief visit in Washington, next week, is expected to be there until the middle of July. Indications are that an August date for the negotiations, as in other years, will be set. Johnston is scheduled to go to the Near East on a government mission in late July and possibly might go to London thereafter. In that event, it is believed here, preliminary talks would be held in London, with the British representatives going to Washington later for the closing. 'Stranger' Bow (Continued from page 1) release at the Warner Beverly Theatre in Los Angeles tonight. The kleig-lighted California premiere is a benefit for the new Mt. Sinai Hospital in Southern California and will be carried to the nation by a 76-station network National Broadcasting Co. television broadcast of Steve Allen's "Tonight" program originating in the Warner Beverly lobby. U. S. Report (Continued from page 1) 000 and the cities an unknown additional amount. The amusement taxes accounts for 7/10 of one per cent of all federal tax collections in that year and 2/10 of one per cent of all state collections. Berlin to See 'Gold' BERLIN, June 28.— Columbia Pictures' Warwick production of "A Prize of Gold" has been selected by the Berlin Film Festival to be screened this week at the huge outdoor Waldbuehne which seats 25,000, the film company said.