The Exhibitor (1954)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 11 Fabian Reports All SW Interests Successful; Company Earnings Up Industry Honors Rubin At Brotherhood Dinner New York — More than 1,000 entertain¬ ment industry leaders representing a wide variety of faiths and races gathered in the Grand Balhoom of the WaldorfAstoria Hotel last week for the ninth annual Brotherhood Dinner sponsored by the amusements division of the National Conference. The dinner, launching the Brotherhood campaign for 1955 under the slogan of “One Nation Under God,” honored J. Rob¬ ert Rubin, permanent national chairman of the annual American show-business effort to foster understanding among people of all religious beliefs and creeds. Senator William J. Fulbright, Arkansas, delivered a keynote address on the topic of world brotherhood to performers, ex¬ ecutives, and other representatives of the film industy, radio, television, the theatre, sports, music, and scores of allied enter¬ prises. Featured speakers included Chancellor William P. Tolley, Syracuse University, who discussed the role of education in advancing inter-faith relations, and Ever¬ ett R. Clinchy, president. National Con¬ ference. Louis Nizer was toastmaster. Barney Balaban, president, Paramount, and chairman, dinner committee, pre¬ sented Rubin with a plaque in recognition of his long service in the field of human relations. Rubin has been chairman of the Conference’s amusement division since 1936. Hyams Named Israeli Distrib. New York — A company to provide the motion picture industry of Israel with representation in the western hemisphere has been established by Barry Hyams, Inc., and agreements have been reached with Zvi Kolitz, Si’kor Films, producers of “Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer” for Hyams to direct the American distribution of the first wholly Israel-made feature motion picture, it was revealed last week. Prior to returning to Israel, Yehoshua Brandstatter, head of IMPS, concluded arrangements with Barry Hyams, Inc., to represent the studios here, and to dis¬ tribute its series of varied-length subjects, the titles of which are “Son Of Sulam,” “We Choose Life,” “Let’s Look At Israel,” “Songs And Dances,” “Jonathan And Tali,” and “Tent City.” The new company also reached an agreement with Brandstatter on the pro¬ duction in Israel of a series of half-hour stories of the Old Testament in color for general and educational distribution. Skourases Plan Two For UA New York — A new corporation was formed last week by Spyros S. Skouras and Plato Skouras, sons of 20th-Fox head Spyros P. Skouras, to make two pictures for release through United Artists. The pictures are “A Kiss Before Dying” and “A Killer Is Loose.” No casts or directors have been chosen for the films, one of which is scheduled to get underway in February with Jacks and Goldstein pro¬ ducing. The contract is entirely separate from the one between Jacks and Goldstein to produce 10 pictures for United Artists. Wilmington, Del. — Simon H. Fabian, president, Stanley Warner Corporation, told stockholders at the annual meeting here last week that the second Cinerama presentation, “Cinerama Holiday,” will open at the Warner, New York City, on Feb. 8. Pointing out that Redbook named “Cinerama Holiday” the picture of the month, Fabian said, “Sneak previews and early press reviews forecast that this feature produced under the personal di¬ rection of Louis de Rochemont, will prove an exceptional boxoffice success. Follow¬ ing the New York premiere, four more cities will begin the run of ‘Cinerama Holiday’ before the end of February, De¬ troit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and St. Louis.” In response to a question by a stock¬ holder, Fabian expressed the hope that a mobile unit for showing Cinerama in smaller cities without permanent instal¬ lation may be ready this spring. Gross SW income for the first quarter of the current fiscal year, which ended Nov. 27, 1954, was $23,320,455 as compared with $13,794,100 for the same quarter one year ago, Fabian said. Net profit after all charges was $1,110, 144, equivalent to 50 cents per share, compared with $523,100 or 21 cents per share on the common stock for the corresponding quarter last year. The figures for the quarter ending in¬ clude the operations of International Latex Corporation, which was acquired on April 30, 1954. All major branches of Stanley Warner are operating profitably, the share owners were told in answer to a stockholder’s question, but company officials declined to give a breakdown for competitive reasons. Lardner Appeals Washington — The Supreme Court was petitioned last week by Ring Lardner, Jr., to overturn a Ninth Circuit Court of Ap¬ peals ruling, upholding the 20th-Fox’s decision to discharge him under the moral turpitude clause in his contract for re¬ fusing to answer questions regarding al¬ leged Communist associations before the House Un-American activities Committee in 1947. The case will probably set a precedent for deciding similar suits brought by industry workers who were fired for refusing to answer questions. NT Research Fund Gets First Workout _ LOS ANGELES — Fox Midwest and Fox Inter-Mountain organizations are making the first use of the $500,000 research fund established by National Theatres last month to discover what influenced patrons to see “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea,” it was announced last week. The research fund is available to all NT showmen, and Elmer C. Rhoden, president, National Theatres, urges them to take advantage of it. Fabian said he will recommend to the board next Monday a 25 cent dividend payable Feb. 25, and looked forward with assurance and confidence to the continued growth, expansion, and further diversi¬ fication. “Nearly 250 of our theatres,” Fabian said, “have been equipped with widescreens and the necessary supplemental equipment and 170 theatres have been equipped with stereophonic sound units . . . We have completed our divestiture program required under the terms of the consent decree and subsequent court order.” The stockholders reelected to the board included Fabian, Samuel Rosen, ex¬ ecutive vice-president, and David G. Baird, chairman of the finance committee, with Fabian and Rosen each receiving 1,833,247 votes while Baird received 1,833,200. According to the proxy state¬ ment, Baird owns no stock in the com¬ pany. About 83.9 per cent of the outstanding stock was represented at the meeting, which was presided over by former Fed¬ eral Judge Hugh M. Morris. An amendment to the certificate of in¬ corporation, providing for two year terms for directors, was adopted by the stock¬ holders. Price Waterhouse and Company were again named independent public accoimtants. Company officials present included Fabian, Rosen, W. Stewart McDonald, vice-president and treasurer; David Fogelson, secretary; Charles Schwartz, coun¬ sel; and Harry Goldberg, advertising and publicity director, as well as A. J. Vanni, Philadelphia out-of-town zone manager, and Lewis S. Black, Wilmington city manager. Skiatron Tests Begin New York — Arthur Levey, president, Skiatron Electronics and Television Cor¬ poration last week announced the start¬ ing of intensive high frequency tests in the Hartford, Conn., area, where more than 235,000 UHF convertors are already in use. The FCC authorized field tests over WGTG-TV have been marked by “very satisfactory” reception of both video and audio signals on Skiatron’s new UHF decoders, according to Levey. Discussing the acceptability of toll-TV, Levey said that nationwide surveys by economists hired by Skiatron have con¬ firmed the acceptance of pay TV by ap¬ proximately 82 per cent of the public sampled in the principle markets. Sub¬ scriber-Vision, which will be produced world-wide by Skiatron TV Corporation, is now ready to go into operation immedi¬ ately upon the FCC’s approval. Branson^s Father Dies New York — Charles E. Branson, father of Walter E. Branson, RKO’s world-wide sales manager, died last week in Stanton, Neb. He was 80 years old. Branson left immediately to attend the funeral services. Survivors include the widow and an¬ other son. January 19, 1955