Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1947)

Universal Starts Blumberg-Rank Sales Campaign The launching of Universal-International's 22-week "Nate Blumberg-J. Arthur Rank Good Business Drive" was announced by William A. Scully, vice-president and general manager, this week. The sales drive will end November 1 and features $50,000 in cash prizes for the winning district managers, branch managers, salesmen and bookers. The drive, called "the biggest and most important in the company's history," for the first time integrates all departments in the U-I organization, including the publicity and promotion units and the U-I studio facilities. Both charges and sales are to be calculated in the computation of standings, Mr. Scully said. Also this week, Al Daff, foreign sales supervisor for Universal-International, announced the start of an 18-week international sales drive to honor Joseph H. Seidelman, head of U-I's foreign operations, including the 31 countries in which U-I is operating at present. The aim of the domestic drive was said by Mr. Scully to be "the creation of a period of great prosperity both for the nation's exhibitors and U-I." In addition to already Expectations," "Odd Man Out," "The Web," "Ivy," "Singapore," "Brute Force," "Something in the Wind," "Slave Girl" and "Something in the W' -d," "Slave Girl" and "The Secret Beyond the Door" will be available. Meetings to work out details of the drive were decided at home office conferences last week. Mr. Scully presided. Among those who attended were E. T. Gomersall, assistant to Mr. Scully ; A. J. O'Keefe, assistant general sales manager ; C. J. Feldman, western division manager ; F. J. A. McCarthy, southern and Canadian division manager ; Fred Meyers, eastern division manager ; William J. Heineman, general sales manager of the J. Arthur Rank division of U-I ; B. G. Kranze, assistant general sales manager of the Rank division and James J. Jordan, contract playdate manager. The international "Seidelman Drive" will be captained by Ben M. Cohn, manager of U-I overseas theatre operations. Directing the activities in the five zones in which the field has been divided will be Harry Novak, Europe ; Robert Lury, Eastern Asia ; Michael Bergher, Far East; Americo Aboaf, Latin America; Andre Salib, Middle East, and Here C. Mclntyre, Australasia. Gessner to U. S. C. Professor Robert Gessner, chairman of the department of motion pictures at New York University, left last week for Los Angeles, where he will be a guest teacher of film courses at the University of Southern California this summer. SHOWMEN SHOULD WELCOME BRITISH FILMS: SKOURAS MR. SKOURAS MAKES A POINT. Listeners to Spyros Skouras. president of Twentieth Century-Fox, include J. Arthur Rank. British Him industry leader, at his left; Nate J. B/umberg, William Heineman, Charles Skouras. Elmer Rhoden. Arthur Krim, Edward label. Harry Cox. E. V. Richards, Robert Benjamin. Frank H. Ricketson and Peter Lundgren. The occasion was Mr. Rank's attendance at a National Theatres' executive meeting and luncheon in Los Angeles, as guest of Charles Skouras, circuit president. Brtish pictures should be welcomed by the American exhibitor, Charles P. Skouras, president of National Theatres Amusement Company, said last Wednesday at a luncheon meeting in Los Angeles in honor of J. Arthur Rank, British film executive, and Robert Young, head of Pathe Industries. The luncheon, at which Mr. Skouras was host, was held in the banquet room at National Theatres' home office. "Good English pictures are proving a stimulus to the thinking of Hollywood and will result in a finer over-all quality of motion picture entertainment," Mr. Skouras said. "The result can only be beneficial to motion picture theatres as audiences respond to better and more original films." At the same time Mr. Skouras pledged to Mr. Rank the cooperation of the National Theatres circuit in properly introducing and presenting British pictures to American audiences. In answer Mr. Rank said: "All that we ask is a helping hand in introducing a new type of product to a new market. With the proper help and return, we can make more pictures of universal appeal to stimulate your box offices." He then expressed his appreciation for the cooperation accorded his pictures during the past two years. Spyros Skouras, president of Twentieth Century-Fox,1 pointed out that Mr. Rank had played an important part in keeping open the English market for American pictures. He said: "The cost of American production is now so high that we must have the English market for profitable Hollywood production. If the market that returned to us $80,000,000 last year should be closed to us because the English could not afford to import our pictures, either the quality of American pictures would suffer or the American theatregoer would have to pay more for his entertainment. The alternative is to see that the English market is kept free by aiding British films." Immediately following the meeting it was announced that detailed arrangements for providing increased bookings for British films throughout National Theatres operations are to be determined at a series of meetings in Hollywood between William J. Heineman, in charge of sales for J. Arthur Rank pictures in this countrv. and Edward Zabel, National Theatres executive. New Sound for Columbia Recording equipment in Columbia's studio on the coast is being consolidated and standardized in extensive re-engineering operations under the supervision of John Livadary, recording director. Designed to save about 40 per cent of the space filled by present installations, the overhaul includes a simplification of equipment. Colum bia is the only Hollywood studio licensed for recording by both Western Electric and RCA. Allied Unit Finds Quarters Allied Rocky Mountain Independent Theatres has found office space in Denver at 921 21st Street, around the corner from the 20th-Fox exchange. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 14, 1947