Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1957)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY VOL. 81, NO. 97 NEW YORK, U.S.A., MONDAY, MAY 20, 1957 TEN CENTS 'How Not Answered' Harling Hits Johnston on Toll -TV Issue Sees No Foundation for Claim It Could Aid All "The bald statement by Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, that 'subscription television could prove helpful to everybody' has absolutely no foundation behind it," according to Philip F. Harling, co-chairman of the Committee Against Pay-As-You-See Television. Harling, answering Johnston's statement made in Hollywood last ( Continued on page 2 ) Guild Gets TV Station; FCC Rejects Protest From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, May 19.-The Federal Communications Commission has approved the transfer of stations WHAM and WMBV-TV in Marinette, Wise, to Guild Films Co. Guild, a television film producer, is acquiring the stations from M. and M. Broadcasting Co. The FCC last July originally approved the transfer, but received a protest from Valley Telecasting Co., which owns a Green Bay television station. Valley argued that Guild, as a film producer, would be in a favored position to get programs, but the commission on Friday decided otherwise and dismissed the protest. Television Today *p AcCGpt Egypt Hetzel Reports on Tour of Continent License Plan Sees Europe Common Market Aiding U. 5. Tells of MPE A Long-Range Plan Abroad To Coordinate Activities Under System The board of directors of the Motion Picture Export Association has agreed to accept the license plan offered by the Egyptian government in a new agreement, according to the MPEA. The directors, however, are putting the license agreement subject to further discussions on working out a satisfactory remittance plan with Egypt. The MPEA board, at its meeting last week, also heard reports from vice-president Ralph Hetzel, Griffith Johnson and Robert Corkery on their recent European and South American trips, respectively. They also discussed a minor adjustment in classification of provincial Danish (Continued on page 4) Tod Retires; Gordon In His Fox Field Post Ted Tod, 20th Century-Fox's Chicago field exploitation representative since 1949, has retired, effective May 25, it was announced at the weekend by Rodney Bush, the film company's national exploitation director. At the same time, Bush announced that Sol Gordon, veteran field man attached to the company's Detroit branch for the past seven years, has been transferred to Chicago to suc( Continued on page 4) By LESTER DINOFF "If a common market resulted in a substantial improvement in European economies, the position of the American film companies would be strengthened considerably also," in the optimistic opinion of Ralph Hetzel, vice-president of the Motion Chromatic Sole Owner Of Authorized Shares From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, May 19.-Paramount Pictures' subsidiary, Chromatic Television Laboratories, Inc., has reacquired 1,000 shares of its common stock held outstanding by outside interests to become the sole owner of all of its authorized shares, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission report. Chromatic paid $90,000 to the sellers of the 1,000 shares, the report revealed, adding that the transaction was completed late in January, 1957. Under the agreement, Chromatic is to make payment of the $90,000 to (Continued on page 4) Picture Export Association. He recently returned from a fourweek tour of the Continent, his first in an MPEA capacity. Hetzel, who presented a report on his trip to the board of directors of the MPEA at the weekend here, Ralph Hetzel I that while in Rome, where the MPEA held a meet(Continued on page 2) REVIEW: Silk Stockings MGM — CinemaScope Sparkling with music, dance and dialogue, plush with production values, lush in color and CinemaScope, this musical version of "Ninotchka" has value enough to make any box office jump. It as a light onceover treatment of the near classic film which contributed to Greta Garbo's greatness but for ingredients it has the indestructible Fred Astaire, the eye and dance appeal of Cyd Charisse, music and lyrics by Cole Porter and if that is not enough, a comedy trio led by, of all people, Peter Lon e. Leavening the frothy souffle are some touches of superb satire, mostly (Continued on page 4) in every scene ALL PATHE NOW F< OR EVERY LABORATORIES, INC. NEW YORK AND HOLLYWOOD Honolulu Circuit Files U-I Anti-Trust Suits S fecial to THE DAILY SAN FRANCISCO, May 19.-Consolidated Amusement Company of Honolulu, which operates a score of theatres in the islands, filed an antitrust suit in United States District Court here Friday against UniversalInternational. The suit charged U-I with selling pictures previously earmarked for Consolidated, the recently opened Hawaiian theatre circuit operated by W illiam Formann. Formann operates 35 chive-ins in California. Some of the 22 U-I fi'ms specifically named in the complaint will not be generally released until die end of July. FILM NEED: IN B&W OR COLOR Speed, Quality and Service at Low Cost • Specializing in 35mm Color Developing • Dailies • 16mm Color Prints • Precision Opticals • Title Stand Work '