The Exhibitor (1966)

Russian Film Technicians Are Cals; Many Equipment Innovations Seen LOS ANGELES — It’s a woman’s world in Russia — at least in the film industry — says a USC cinema specialist who has toured Soviet movie-making facilities. Herbert E. Farmer, director of University of Southern California’s audio visual services, Department of Cinema, toured the U.S.S.R. as a delegate of the Society of Motion Pic¬ ture and Television Engineers. “We didn’t see one male film editor in the Soviet Union,” Farmer reports. “The sbund technicians were women, the labora¬ tories were ‘manned’ by women, sound re¬ cording was done by women, and even the projection booth in Russia’s largest theatre (45,000 seats) had a feminine staff.” * Farmer, SMPTE editorial vice-president, was chairman of the U.S. group which studied film-making methods and innovations in the U.S.S.R. through arrangements with the U.S. State Department. “We were interested in what is happening in the U.S.S.R. today in motion pictures, in the studios, in related research and develop¬ ment, and in the motion picture labs. . “We also studied their programs for edu¬ cation and training for young people going into the film industry, and looked for new developments that might be starting there in the field of optics,” he said. ■ The group headed by Farmer toured Mos¬ cow, Leningrad, Minsk, Kiev, and Kharkov. Russian studios look much like American ones. Their cameras and other equipment s'eem to be of the very latest styles and are well designed and built, he said. • “Although most of the equipment we saw was inspired by western design, some of it definitely had some new principles not yet being used by U.S. film makers,” he re¬ ports. Farmer said that some equipment is highly developed and much more expensive than U.S. film making companies would be willing to buy. He saw one special view-finder worth $7,000 being used on a newsreel-type camera. “We just don’t spend money this way, but the Russians apparently have a different set of values,” he said. “In Russia, if they need to increase pro¬ duction in the labs, they don’t build a bigger or faster machine, they just add more ma¬ chines — and more people to run them.” Especially interesting to the U.S. group was the country’s showplace — the Palace of Congresses which seats 6,000 for opera, ballet, and other large gatherings, ft has 6,000 loud¬ speakers, one in back of every seat in the auditorium. In addition, in the arm of every seat is an earphone and a 14-channel, simul¬ taneous-translation system for multi-lingual conferences. Another complete sound system backstage is used for motion picture presen¬ tations. The Palace also has loudspeakers for a five-channel stereo sound system, and micro¬ phones in the floor for radio broadcasting. Some Russian innovations .not seen in the United States include, a government-sup¬ ported central school, the All-Union State Film Institute for Cinematography, to train creative film people, including directors of photography, writers, editors, set designers, actors; the building of larger and larger the¬ atres to seat up to 3,000 people, with a sec¬ ond, smaller theatre in the lobby where the¬ atregoers sit to watch documentaries while waiting to enter the main auditorium; more emphasis on photography in the pure sci¬ ences — anthropology, archeology, etc.; an abundance of technical research equipment at the universities where there is a great deal of instruction in specialized fields of micro¬ photography, high-speed instrumentation, etc. TEC Sets Distrib Deals For Theatrical, TV Fare . HOLLYWOOD — All theatrical and tele¬ vision product, including the more than 70 feature films in the TEC library, will be dis¬ tributed in Canada by Empire Films, Ltd., according to a joint announcement by Harold Goldman, president of Television Enterprises Corporation (TEC), and Paul L. Nathanson, president of Empire Films, Ltd. Sales for the library will be under the di¬ rection of Herb Mathers, director of sales and general manager of Empire Films. Empire, with headquarters in Toronto, also has branch offices in all six Canadian ex¬ change centers. , TEC currently has a schedule of 20 fea¬ ture films to be produced in around-the-world locations during 1966. Total includes five film co-production deal with CCC of Berlin, Ger¬ many, plus pictures to be shot in Mexico, Greece, England, and Spain. TEC also has a library of some 70 feature films in U. S. television release. This entire group will now be made available to the Canadian market. Appointment of Joseph McConville as director of Central and South American sales was recently announced by TEC, completing the company’s Western Hemisphere sales group. M Goldman recently completed a round of New York production conferences. He con¬ firmed a series of important theatrical and television production deals. He and business associate Jerry Kurtz met with Dan Overmeyer to discuss programming for the latter’s group of six television stations, with all pro¬ jected shows scheduled to be on the air within the next six months. Goldman announced the completion of “Di¬ mension 5,” a feature film made in color in Hollywood. He also revealed that he had signed Fernando Lamas to direct and star in a major feature to be produced in color in Mexico City. A third important deal, he stated, has been made with Ferde Grofe, Jr., to produce “Ride the Tiger,” an adventure film starring George Montgomery and Jean Pierre Aumont. TEC has also completed negotiations for its initial European distribution pact, selling United Kingdom theatrical rights on its first two co-productions to Grand National Pic¬ tures, Ltd., of London. Pictures involved in the agreement are “Des¬ tination Inner Space” and “Cyborg 2087.” Both films were co-produced with United Pic¬ tures Corporation. MGM Earnings Increase; "Dr. Zhivago" Leads Way NEW YORK — Robert H. O’Brien, presi¬ dent of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., an¬ nounced in his quarterly letter to stockholders that “the upward trend of our earnings con¬ tinued in the 16 weeks ended March 17, 1966, the second quarter of our fiscal year, resulting in a net profit of $2,633,000 or $1.04 per share compared to a net profit of $2,045,000 or 78 cents per share in the corresponding period last year.” The net profit for the first two quarters of the current fiscal year, 28 weeks, totaled $4,717,000 or $1.87 per share, com¬ pared to a net profit of $3,611,000 or $1.38 per share for the similar period a year ago. A quarterly dividend check at the rate of 40 cents per share accompanied the report. Dated April 8, the letter did not discuss the recommendation made by management that the company’s common stock be split two-forone. O’Brien reported to stockholders that the Company’s most important second quarter re¬ lease was David Lean’s film of “Doctor Zhi¬ vago,” which is currently playing road show engagements in 34 cities. “From a standpoint of boxoffice success, audience acclaim, awards already received and the 10 nominations for awards to be given by The Motion Picture Academy,” continued O’Brien, “this produc¬ tion is comparable only to ‘Ben Hur’ among our reserved seat attractions, far outstripping ‘How The West Was Won’ both at the boxoffice and in award categories.” Additional current attractions include “A Patch of Blue,” “The Singing Nun,” “The Loved One,” “Hold On,” and the two motion picture features re¬ leased from “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” television series. Cordon Will Filed BEAUMONT, TEX.— The will of Julius Gordon, Beaumont and Port Arthur business¬ man, who died while on a visit in California on April 1, was filed for probate in the Jeffer¬ son County clerk’s office. Attorney Carl D. Levy of Beaumont said in the application that Gordon’s estate was in excess of $100,000. Levy was named executor of the estate with instructions to continue operations of any and all businesses, including the Jefferson Amusement Co., theatre circuit. Also named to be retained as employees of the theatre firm were M. L. Wertheim, Sam E. Tanner, L. C. Kuburz, Morie Marks, and Levy. Gordon’s two daughters and his two nieces were listed to receive all his stock in the Jefferson Amusement Co., to be shared equally. Cinerama Cuts Losses HOLLYWOOD — William R. Forman, president, Cinerama, Inc., said in the com¬ pany’s message to stockholders that the possi¬ bility that Cinerama may be delisted by the American Stock Exchange since the film com¬ pany has shown an operating loss for three consecutive years has been averted. The company had a net loss of $522,974 on gross income of $5,246,236 in the fiscal year ended Jan. 1. This compared with a net operat¬ ing loss of $17,908,893 and special charges of $5,219,286 in the fiscal year ended Jan. 2, 1965, on gross revenue of $9,081,972. Forman said that management is “hopeful” that operations will show a profit for the cur¬ rent fiscal year. MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR April 20, 1966