Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

Bryan Foy 'Find What the Customers Want By Asking"— Foy Eagle-Lion's exhibitor relations program, conducted personally by its vice-president in charge of production, Bryan Foy, will continue because it is the best and only way to "find out what makes people walk to and away from a picture," Mr. Foy said in New York Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Foy is in the city for confer. ences with EagleLion home office chiefs and with the board of directors of Pathe Industries. Mr. Foy recently visited exhibitors in southwestern cities during 14 days of accompanying the premieres of "It's a Joke, Son," and will the next time in a program of four or more such trips yearly visit northwestern cities. "I don't need a Gallup poll to tell me what people think, about titles or pictures. People in audiences don't really know the answers to some of the questions asked, and titles depend upon a lot of circumstances, certainly upon casts. We've been in the picture business too long," Mr. Foy said, "I don't think the Gallup people can tell me anything. "I find that preferences vary from locality to locality, and I find that combinations of names and pictures matter very much." Despite the need for rebuilding the old Educational studio which it now runs, Eagle-Lion is producing ten pictures for this season, at an average cost of $1,100,000, Mr. Foy noted, stressing that the rebuilding alone cost $1,500,000. "Nothing but the show business for me," he said. "Nothing with messages — that's for Western Union." Out of Title Bureau Eagle-Lion withdrew last week from the Title Registration Bureau, he disclosed, and added it was because he found every other company ahead on any one title. "We'll go ahead from now on completely on our own. We don't belong to any organization now. We'll depend on copyright of our work. If you're out first with it, that's what counts." Eagle-Lion has two pictures fully completed, two editing, two in production, and nine with scripts finished. REPORTING FOR STARDOM Korda to Star Mason Alexander Korda has announced he will star James Mason in "The Life of King David," to be produced within a year and to be based on the biblical material. FROM FIFTH AVENUE to California. Monogram's buses, advertising, of course. Allied Artists' "It Happened on Fifth Avenue", arrived in Hollywood Tuesday morning. Bought from the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, of New York, the coaches will end long and harried lives as props for future films. Eric Johnston to Testify at Un-American Committee Eric Johnston, Motion Picture Association president, will be asked to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee on legislation to outlaw communism. J. P. Thomas, chairman of that committee, has set hearings March 24. Columbia Holds Sales Meeting A three-day meeting of home office executives, district managers and sales personnel was held by Columbia March 18-20 at the Hotel Warwick in New York, with A. Montague, general sales manager, presiding. Purpose of the meeting was to discuss selling plans under the Decree, as well as forthcoming top product including "Framed'' and "The Guilt of Janet Ames." Attending from the home office were : Rube Jackter, Louis Astor, Irving Wormser, Maurice Grad, Leo Jaffe, George Josephs, H. C. Kaufman, Joseph Freiberg, Irving Sherman, Seth Raisler, Vincent Borelli, Irving Moross, Sydney Singerman and William Brennan. Representatives from the field were: Nat Cohn, Sam Galanty, Carl Shalit, B. C. Marcus, I. H. Rogovin, R. J. Ingram, J. B. Underwood, H. E. Weiner, J. C. Bullwinkle, B. J. Lourie and Phil Fox. Legion of Decency Reviews Ten New Productions The National Legion of Decency this week reviewed 10 new productions, approving all. In Class A-I, unobjectionable for general patronage, were: "Apache Rose," "Blondie's Holiday,'' "Buck Privates Come Home," "High Barbaree" and "The Lone Hand Texan." In Class A-II, unobjectionable for adults, were: "The Devil Thumbs a Ride," "Hard Boiled Mahoney," "Imperfect Lady,'' "Ramrod" and "Forbidden Music" (Italian). ' 'Duel 9 'Classified As B by Legion David O. Selznick's production, "Duel in the Sun," has been re-edited in accordance with the suggestion of various religious and civic groups, including the National Legion of Decency, it was announced by the producer through his New York office Thursday, March 13. Last Saturday the National Legion of Decency announced that the picture, after revision, had been classified as "B" — Objectionable in Part," and gave the following reasons : "Immodestly suggestive sequences ; glorification of illicit love." In his announcement, Mr. Selznick said: "While the re-editing for the groups involved resulted in several individual cuts, they were of the same type that is normally made in the process of editing a film following previous trial engagements. With the substitutions and additions the over-all length of the film has not been materially changed and its dramatic values and integrity have not suffered in the least." The new running time has been designated as two hours and 18 minutes. In announcing its classification the Legion said : "In effecting the revision the producer has responded with cooperation and understanding to critical reaction subsequent to the trial engagement of the film in Los Angeles and has thus displayed an awareness of the responsibility for the moral and social integrity of motion pictures." The Selznick statement also pointed out: "Pictures which have this 'B' classification for various moral reasons have been 'The Best Years of Our Lives', 'Seventh Veil', 'Humoresque', 'Open City', '13 Rue Madeleine', 'The Sign of the Cross' and 'The Searching Wind.' " PCCITO Convention in May The Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Theatre Owners will hold its annual convention in Los Angeles May 6-8. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 22, 1947 47