Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

Universal Holds Overseas Sales Meet March 31 Key executives of Universal-International Films in Europe and North Africa will attend the company's first post-war sales convention, to be held in Paris March 31, according to Joseph H. Seidelman, head of Universal's foreign operations. A home office group was to leave New York for Paris on the Queen Elizabeth March 7. Among those who will attend the Paris meeting are Harry Novak, continental supervisor; Louis Foeldes, general sales manager for Europe; Ben Henry, home office representative in London; Max Mendel, supervisor for the Scandinavian countries, and Andre Salib, Near East supervisor. In addition the managers in France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Algeria and Greece will be present. The home office group consists of Mr. Seidelman, Al Daff, vice-president and general sales manager ; Harold Sugarman, manager of the newly created 16mm foreign department; Ferdinand Rieger, special representative, and Fortunat Baronat, foreign publicity head. Among the pictures to be screened at the convention will be "The Egg and I," with Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray; "Time Out of Mind," with Phyllis Calvert, Robert Hutton and Ella Raines; "I'll Be Yours," with Deanna Durbin : "Song of Scheherazade," with Yvonne DeCarlo and Jean Pierre Aumont; "Buck Privates Come Home," with Abbott and Costello, and "The Devil in the Flesh" ("Le Diable Au Corps"), the Universal-Transcontinental French film with Micheline Presle and Gerard Philip. Legion of Decency Reviews Seven New Productions The National Legion of Decency reviewed seven new productions this week, approving all but one. "Thirteenth Hour" was placed in Class A-I, unobjectionable for general patronage. In Class A-II, unobjectionable for adults, were "Danger Street," "My Favorite Brunette," "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock" and "Undercover Maisie." In Class B, objectionable in part, were "Angel and Sinner" (French), because it "presents as patriotic essentially immoral actions," and "Children of Paradise" (French) because of "suggestive sequences and dialogue." Rank Film Opens "The Years Between," presented by J. Arthur Rank, and starring Michael Redgrave and Valerie Hobson, was to open in New York at the Park Avenue theatre March 8. The film, produced by Sydney Box and directed by Compton Bennett, will be shown on a continuous run policy with loge seats reserved. Schaefer in New York to Open Enterprise Office George J. Schaefer, newly elected vicepresident in charge of distribution for Enterprise Productions, arrived in New York Tuesday to establish the company's New York office, which temporarily will occupy the headquarters of George J. Schaefer Associates, industry financing firm. It is also expected Mr. Schaefer will complete negotiations for the acquisition of some 300 Universal feature pictures made prior to 1938. These pictures will be reissued through a new company to be formed by George J. Schaefer, Jr., and John J. Cahill, Mr. Schaefer's son-in-law. UA Midwest District Wins In Grad Sears Drive The United Artists midwest district has won first prize in the Grad Sears Gold Cup Drive on over-all performance, it was announced last week by J. J. Unger, the company's general sales manager. Trailing the midwest were the western, New York, central and southern districts, respectively. Winning district managers are Rud Lohrenz, midwest; W. E. Callaway, west; Jack Ellis, New York; Moe Dudelson, central, and Fred M. Jack, south. Branch honors were taken by Chicago, headed by Sid Rose, followed by Winnipeg, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Atlanta. Other prize-winning branches included Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, New Orleans, New Haven, Vancouver and St. Louis. Winning salesmen receiving $500 cash awards include G. B. Davis, Atlanta; T. R. Barber, Dallas ; W. T. Keith, New Orleans ; Nat Ross and Irving Mendelsohn, Boston ; Dave Leff , Buffalo ; Lou Geiger, Cleveland ; R. J. Forman, Detroit; Sam Rifkin, New York; William Scott, Pittsburgh; Harold Ross, Washington ; W. R. Riddle, Denver ; M. M. Krueger, Indianapolis ; John Graham, Kansas City; Jack Drum, Los Angeles; Moe Provencher, Milwaukee; E. J. Stoller, Minneapolis ; C. F. Reese, Omaha, and Jack O'Bryan, Seattle. AMPA To Welcome Return Of Chevalier to U. S. Maurice Chevalier's return to the United States as well as his reappearance on the screen in RKO-Pathe Cinema's Paris-produced "Golden Silence" will be celebrated when the French actor is the guest of honor at a luncheon to be given by Associated Motion Picture Advertisers at Town Hall Club March 6. "Stallion" Opens April 4 World premiere of "Stallion Road," Warner film starring Ronald Reagan, Zachary Scott and Alexis Smith, has been set for April 4 at the New York Strand, following the run of "Pursued," a United States Pictures film which opened March 7. Thirtyone other Warner houses in the East also have scheduled pre-release openings of "Stallion Road," starting April 9. Raftery Outlines UA Sales Policy At Convention United Artists' forthcoming sales policy and selling under the terms of the decree were outlined by Edward C. Raftery, president, and Gradwell L. Sears, vice-president in charge of distribution, at two of the company's regional sales meetings last week. "In the contract that our salesmen make, everything must be written into the contract and lived up to," .Mr. Raftery told the delegates at the four-day regional meeting at the William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh which opened last Thursday. Mr. Raftery said side agreements will be termed unlawful and will leave the burden of the responsibility upon the distributor. He recommended that United Artists use institutional ads to explain the company's attitude on this policy. At the same time, Mr. Sears, addressing more than 100 district and branch managers, salesmen and exhibitor representatives at a four-day meeting in El Paso, Tex., gave a comprehensive review of the company's current production status. He emphasized the importance of United Artists' backlog of 29 pictures completed and awaiting release. The negative cost to date, he said, amounted to $41,000,000. Discussion by representatives of both distribution and exhibition under decree selling marked the final day. Delegates were briefed on the new provisions of the decree by George Raftery, of company counsel. Also speaking to the members of the PennsylvaniaWashington and Central districts gathered in Pittsburgh for the session were J. J. Unger, general sales manager ; Edward M. Schnitzer, eastern and Canadian sales manager, and Paul N. Lazarus, Jr., advertising and publicity director. Represented at the El Paso meeting, which was conducted by Maury Orr, western sales manager, were nine branches comprising the southern and western districts under the supervision of Fred M. Jack and W. E. Callaway, southern and western district manager, respectively. Mr. Raftery, Mr. Sears and Mr. Orr were to arrive in Chicago Thursday for the final four-day meeting. They were to be joined there by Mr. Unger and Mr. Lazarus. Grainger and Walton Attend Republic Sales Meeting James R. Grainger, Republic executive vice-president in charge of sales and distribution, and Edward L. Walton, assistant general sales manager, attended the threeday sales conference which opened Monday in San Francisco. After the concluding session Wednesday, Mr. Grainger and Mr. Walton left for a brief visit to the company's studio and then were to return to New York over the weekend. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 8, 1947 41