The Exhibitor (1955)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 9 Allied Bulletin Raps Distributors Kelly, Brando Win As ^Waterfront” Sweeps Hollywood — In ceremonies marked by I the fact that all nominees with the ex5 ception of Judy Garland and Audrey I Hepburn were present, Columbia’s “On The Waterfront,” swept the Academy Awards, the presentations being carried by 351 TV stations throughout the world. It captured eight awards, including the award for best picture. Other awards presented were best perI formances — actor, Marlon Brando, “On The Waterfi'ont”; actress, Grace Kelly, “The Country Girl,” Paramount; supporti ing actor, Eva Marie Saint, “On The Waterfront”; best direction, “On The Waterfront,” Elia Kazan; best writing, story, “Broken Lance,” 20th-Fox, Phillip Yordan; screen play, “The Country Girl,” Paramount, George Seaton; story and screen play, “On The Waterfront,” Budd Schulberg; best art direction, black and white, “On The Waterfront,” Boris Kauf¬ man; color, “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea,” Walt Disney Productions, Buena Vista; John Meehan, set direction, Emile Kurie; best cinematography, black and white, “On The Waterfront,” Boris Kauf¬ man; color, “Three Coins In The Foun¬ tain,” 20th-Fox, Milton Krasner; best cos¬ tume designs, black and white, “Sabrina,” Paramount, Edith Head; color, “Gate Of Hell,” Daiei, Edward Harrison, Sanzo Wada; best film editing, “On The Water¬ front,” Gene Milford; best sound, “The Glenn Miller Story,” U-I, Leslie I. Carey; best musical achievements, scoring of a musical, “Seven Brides For Seven Broth¬ ers,” MGM, Adolph Deutsch and Saul Chaplin; dramatic or comedy film, “The High And The Mighty,” Warners, Dimitri Tiomkin; song, “Three Coins In The Foun¬ tain,” 20th-Fox, music, Jule Styne, lyrics, Sammy Cahn; best short subjects, cartoon, “When Magoo Flew,” United Productions of America, Columbia; one-reel, “This Mechanical Age,” Warners; two-reel, “A Time Out Of War,” Carnival Productions; best documentaries, short subject, “Thurs¬ day’s Children,” World Wide Pictures, British Information Services, Morse Films; feature, “The Vanishing Prairie,” Walt Disney Productions, Buena Vista; special awards, to Danny Kaye, for “Assign¬ ment Children,” made for UNICEF; to “Gate Of Hell,” as best foreign language film; to Bausch and Lomb, for 60 years of fine optical service; to John Whitely and Vincent Winter for their perform¬ ances in “The Little Kidnappers”; to Greta Garbo, for 14 years of unforgettable performances. Younastein Mourns Father New York — Elias Youngstein, 71, father of United Artists vice-president Max E. Youngstein, died last week of a heart ailment at Beth David Hospital. Young¬ stein leaves a brother, Samuel. Surviving children include the United Artists exective, Bernard Young, Mrs. Pearl Lieberson, Morris Youngstein, and Mrs. Miriam Hugel. Arbitration Progress Reported As Schimel And Levy Meet NEW YORK — A meeting last week between Hennan Levy, general coun¬ sel, TOA, and Adolph Schimel, coun¬ sel for the distribution arbitration committee, was reported to have made some progress on the draft of the proposed arbitration system. The conference, the first held in several weeks, due to the illness of Schimel, also laid the groundwork for a meeting of the full arbitration com¬ mittee as soon as possible. The draft, which is known to have a number of items in dispute, is understood to be near completion with the issue of financing still open. Exhibs Cautioned On Toll-TV Boston — Edward W. Lider and Frank C. Lydon, co-chairman, New England Com¬ mittee against Pay-As-You-See TV, last week warned exhibitors not to “sound off” about toll-TV until they “have all the facts and all the correct answers.” In a letter to New England exhibitors appealing for financial support for the fight against toll-TV, they advised ex¬ hibitors to shun “any public or semi¬ public controversy” on toll-TV until they have received the question and answer pamphlets on the subject. Mima Hartman Wed New York — Mima Hartman, daughter of Don Hartman, Paramount executive producer, and Mrs. Hartman, was mar¬ ried last week to Ensign Arthur Pereira, U.S.N.R., son of Hal Pereira, supervising art director. Paramount, and Mrs. Pereira. INDEX Volume 53, Number 23 April 6, 1955 Section One Editorial . 7 New York By Mel Konecoff 8 The International Scene 10 This Was The Week When . 20 In The Newsreels 21 About People . 21 Better Management 22 E-Xtra Profits . EP-1 — EP-8 Section Two The Servisection . SS-1 — SS-8 Feature Reviews — “An Annapolis Story” (AA); “High Society” (AA) ; “Shotgun” (AA); “Cell 2455, Death Row” (Colum¬ bia); “Jungle Moon Men” (Columbia); “Tlie Return Of October” (Columbia); “Tight Spot” (Columbia); “Too Young For Love” (I.F.E.) ; “The Silver Star” (Lippert); “Interrupted Melody” (MGM); “The Prodigal” (MGM); “Mambo” (Para¬ mount) ; “Run For Cover” (Paramount) ; “Strategic Air Command” (Paramount); “A Man Called Peter” (20th-Fox) ; “A Bul¬ let For Joey” (UA) ; “Marty” (UA); “The Purple Plain” (UA) ; “Thi.s Island Earth” (U-I); “Jump Into Hell” (Warners); “The Blonde Pick-Up” (Globe Roadshows) ; “Devil (iirl From Mars” (Spartan); “The Imposter” (Brandon); “Princess Cinder¬ ella” (Carroll). Sees No Intention Of Roundtable Talks; Cites Company Income Rise After Tax Slice Meant For Exhibs Washington — Allied States Association last week issued a bulletin accusing dis¬ tribution of having no intention of going through with the proposed roundtable conference, and said “exhibitors must now perfect their case for presentation in other forums.” The bulletin explained that the chief grounds to be relied on by Allied in seek¬ ing outside help will be the charge that the film companies have “drained off all or nearly all of the tax relief granted to theatres by Congress.” It added that “Allied will harp on a few incontrovert¬ ible facts, that following April 1, 1954 (the effective date of the tax bill), film prices increased; that in consequence, the film companies’ net earnings have increased by leaps and bounds, while exhibitors continue to be no better off than they were before the bill was passed.” The bulletin contained a tabulation of the net earnings after taxes of nine film companies, including the big eight, since April 1, 1954. The bulletin, attributed to Abram F. Meyers, Allied chairman and general counsel, asserted that “the top level con¬ ference proposed by A1 Lichtman seems to have passed into limbo,” and added that a conference between an Allied leader and Lichtman “developed nothing beyond the now familiar alibi that the round table cannot be held until the arbi¬ tration issue is settled. Arbitration has been kicked around for four years, and since the film companies will not agree to arbitrate film rentals or selling poli¬ cies, it is impossible to see how this issue can have any bearing on the round table proposal. “All exhibitors have sought is the opportunity to place their case before the responsible heads of the film companies in hopes that each official, with respect to his own company, would voluntarily abate or abandon policies which threaten the entire industry. Cynicism begets cynicism, and the manner in which ex¬ hibitor overtures looking to a peaceful settlement of this controversy have been rejected engenders the thought that this idea for a top level conference may have been advanced merely to induce exhibi¬ tors to postpone their plans for remedial action, while the film companies continue to wax fat on their present destructive policies.” UA Decision Reversed New York — The Court of Appeals last week reversed a Federal District Court ruling dismissing Robert S. Benjamin, Arthur B. Krim, and Seymour M. Peyser as defendants in a counterclaim filed by Masterpiece Productions in connection with a suit filed by United Artists over TV rights to over 30 pictures. The Appeals Court remanded action back to District Court for trial. April 6, 1955