Motion Picture Daily (Apr-June 1956)

mrsday, April 19, 1956 Motion Picture Daily 7 Pax Drive (Continued from page 1) nilar recommendation with respect i the cabaret tax, suggesting that e full committee might want to do mething to lower it. While the subcommittee recomendations do not in any way bind e full committee, its language is nverful indication that the lawmaks are beginning to feel the heat from e industry's tax relief campaign and ;e thinking about doing something ?out it. Meanwhile, Robert Coyne, one of e three-man governing board of the ouncil of Motion Picture Organiza)ns, was in town contacting key wmakers on the admissions tax situion. Coyne has been keeping in uch especially with Ways and leans Committee members on the jssibility of getting a committee ;aring or action. He said that while >.ere's nothing new so far, he has l)pes something will start breaking ion. REVIEW: if to Release 10 ( Continued from page 1 ) rde variety of subject matter and [j jl ernes and featuring top box-office rsonalities, will be backed by the pe of showmanship which exhibits from Coast to Coast have come Ji> expect from Universal, Feldman tinted out. Eight of the 10 pictures are in ■lor by Technicolor, two are in inemaScope and one is in VistaI ision, he said. They are in keeping $ith Universal's policy of providing steady flow of top box-office picires for the nation's exhibitors, eldman told the sales executives. Stress 'Away All Boats' Highlighting this group of releases ill be "Away All Boats," based on le Kenneth Dodson novel. In Vistaision and Technicolor, it is the most cpensive film production ever made I Universal. ^ l' Another highlight will be "Toy ' iger," in Technicolor, starring Jeff handler, Laraine Day and Tim lovey, and produced in the same >medy vein of "The Private War of (ajor Benson" last year. A series of ■rritorial saturation pre-release enigements are being set for the beinning of school holidays in June. "Pillars of the Sky," in Cinema:ope and Technicolor, is scheduled f; 1 ir October release. Leading off of the July releases will it [e "The Rawhide Years." The second lly release will be "Congo Crossig," and the third July release is Toy Tiger." 'Francis' in August The August release, besides "Away 11 Boats," will be "Francis in the aunted House," starring Mickey ooney. September releases are highlighted f the Audie Murphy CinemaScope id Technicolor film production, The Proud Land," based on the >ok "Apache Agent," by Woodorth Clum. "Raw Edge" will be Safari Columbia — Warwick — CinemaScope Hollywood, April 18 Behind the personal story in which Victor Mature, Janet Leigh and a great many other players whose names mean less than these on American marquees appear, stands the Africa of jungle, of animal, of adventure and of danger, never more brilliantly brought to the screen than now with the benefit of CinemaScope and color by Technicolor. If there were no foreground story at all, and no professional actors, this background would provide 90 minutes of money's-worth for any reasonable buyer of tickets. With billing material as marketable as the names of the two costars and the two processes to work with, a showman, who makes a particular point of the African background in his exploitation, figures to wind up with nothing but satisfied customers on his hands. In common with many another picture backgrounded by the African terrain and animal life, "Safari" falls short of its setting in the story department. The screenplay by the estimable Anthony Veiller, based on a story by the accomplished Robert Buckner, places Mature in Africa as a professional hunter whose family has been murdered by Mau Mau marauders and whose license has been revoked by British officials lest he "take the law into his own hands." To get around this barrier to his vengeance, he hires out to a British hunter as a guide in exchange for the latter 's influence to get the license reinstated. At this point the safari sets out on a picture-long expedition during which many ferocious beasts and scores of Mau Mau are slaughtered before the death of the Englishman conveniently frees his fiancee (an extremely superficial character played without conviction by Miss Leigh) to materialize a romance with Mature. This personal story never seems very real to American eyes, but does not detract drastically from the animal stuff. The picture is a Warwick Film Production, produced by Adrian D. Worker for Warwick executive producers Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli, and directed by Terrence Young. Players, in addition to those named above, include John Justin, Roland Justin, Liam Redmond, Earl Cameron, Orlando Martins, Juma, Lionel Ngakane, Harry Quashie, Slim Harris, Cy Grant, John Wynn, Arthur Lovegrove, Estelle Brody, Christopher Warby, John Harrison, Glyn Lawson and others. Running time, 90 minutes. General classification. For June release. WILLIAM R. WEAVER Gehring Urges ( Continued from page 1 ) and mentioned competition from television for stories and talent, the high taxes that talent workers must pay, which makes higher salaries necessary, and the demands of agents. He invited a committee of exhibitors to come to Hollywood to see the problems of the producers and make suggestions for solving them. Gehring denied charges that distributors are neglecting small theatres. He said six and one-half per cent of the total film rental in the U. S. and Canada comes from the bottom 5,000 theatres and that "no company is in such a good position" that it can neglect six and one-half per cent of its take. Today's business got under way with a "Meet Your Legislators" brunch, at which the two Maryland Senators and some ten Maryland and Virginia Congressmen were present. the second September release, while the third September release will be "Behind the High Wall." "Showdown at Abilene," a Technicolor Western starring TV's "Range Rider" Jock Mahoney, is the second October release besides "Pillars of the Sky." Kansas TV Station Acquires WB Films CHICAGO, April 18.-Television station KAKE-TV, Wichita, Kans., has purchased Associated Artists Productions' entire library of Warner Brothers features, totaling 754 films, it was announced at the National Association of Radio Television Broadcasters convention here today by AAP general sales manager Bob Rich. It was said to have been the first deal. Report Price as $300,000 It was indicated that the purchase price for the Warner Brothers films was $300,000. Rich concluded the negotiations with Martin Umansky, general manager of the station, an affiliate of the American Broadcasting Co. Rich said that KAKE-TV's interest in the total group of features seemed typical of the interest shown by other network, sponsor, agency and station representatives who contacted AAP representatives after the first announcement of the company's overall sales plan. It is felt that the Warner Brothers name and its long recognized standing in the film industry proved a magnet, Rich said. Voices Optimism IndustryPeriod Of Adjustment Ended: Mayer From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, April 18.-Arthur L. Mayer today told the Washington Area Exhibitors' convention here that for the first time in the past five years he has become highly optimistic concerning the immediate future of the film industry. The former executive vice-president of COMPO was the keynote speaker at the second day's meeting of the three-day convention of theatremen from Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and the District of Columbia, at the Shoreham Hotel. He is engaged currently as promotion consultant on Paramount's "War and Peace," but refrained from "pitching" for the film at the session. His address, however, was titled, "War and Peace in the Motion Picture Industry." Tells of Visit Abroad Recent visits to Hollywood and Europe, Mayer said, have convinced him that the industry's "period of experimentation is over, and that a steady stream of amazingly fine films will be released in the next 12 months." He said that "more good pictures will be forthcoming in the next year than were released in the previous three years." Just as time was required for adjustments during the development of sound, so has it taken time for producers, directors, technicians, script writers to take full advantage of the new large screen processes, Mayer pointed out. The new adjustment is now complete, he said. Hails 'Increased Courage' "Along with this increased skill has come increased courage. Every major company, with possibly one exception, will have at least two to four tremendously costly, impressive projects on its shooting or release schedule. Paramount alone has $50,000,000 in negative investment, including 'The Ten Commandments' and 'War and Peace', the two most costly pictures in its history." Mayer said it was "high time" that the industry "cut out its internecine squabbling." He contended that "threat, abuse and insults in the press and before Congressional committees should be abandoned in favor of concentration on how best to publicize this magnificent new product." He held that "no industry can be successful which makes a practice of broadcasting to the public how badly it is conducted." 'Man to Cannes Sumar Productions' "The Man Who Never Was," in CinemaScope, has been accepted for presentation at the Cannes Film Festival.