Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Sep 1953)

mwwry Rtfenasaye S«ay% BEHIND THE CURTAIN — In Russia's city kinemas now white-coated girls are vending ice cream to the audiences. That is commercial, also bourgeois and effete. This comes from a browsing in Kinematograph Weekly which carries the first good report on the current state of Russian motion picture operations. It presents significantly a slant on the trend in British film trade relations with Moscow, which seem a-growing. It is a report from an interview with Kenneth Rive, managing director of Gala Films, London, just returned with a purported exclusive arrangement for the interchange of British and Russian product. Now he has to talk to Britain's Board of Trade. He says his motives are entirely commercial. Meanwhile he is said to have seventy-five Russian films "in hand," of which about 12, he said, were "commercial." One could be wondering what's to be done with the rest of them. Gala is said to be taking Russian pictures on a 50-50 sharing of profits, earnings going to the account of the Soviet Export Film Organization in Britain. It comes out that all kinemas are stateowned and that in Moscow there are 50 in the city center. They open at 8:30 A.M. and the last show starts at I I :45 P. M. The houses are said to be always filled, with some seats sold in advance and a long free list by allotment to trade unions. The theatres look like warehouses outside and are ornate with decoration within. There is classical orchestral music in the foyer until the show goes on. The admission includes smaller projection rooms where documentary, which means message, pictures run continuously. The films are selected by "a people's committee and the same picture plays all Moscow houses day and date. The prices of admission, converted to British money range from 2s to 5s. Out in the provinces it seems that there are few kinemas but thousands of workers' clubs supplied with free films. There are no tidings on aspect ratios and 3-D. Somewhere over among those millions there may be a sleeping market for a lot of popcorn. DIRECTOR CREDITS— The pursuit by the Screen Directors Guild of a brighter spot for the director of the picture, from screen to billboard, discussed the other day by William R. Weaver in The HERALD's Hollywood Scene, brings some sequel reflec tions. One can have no proper objection to adequate recognition of any and all contributors to the competence of the pictures. It is to be observed, however, that published credits are externally important only in the degree in which they engage the spectators' interest. Objectively it is mo’st apparent that the customers are in the main interested in the show. Aside from a few letter writing super-fans, they are concerned only with what they see. They do not see either the director or many of his co-workers so essential to the product. Just for instance consider how few readers of the periodicals ever note the names of the many gifted illustrators who sign their drawings. How many of the reading millions know the names of such as Dean Cornwall or Rockwell Kent? The complex of credits, unrolled endlessly on the screen, and contractually cluttering the advertising displays, does nothing for the art and its merchandising values. Those credits are mostly interior trade considerations. The probably highly impractical deduction is that those yards of credit titles should be required only for showings in Hollywood, or other areas where there is some regional interest in who did everything. For the customers it would be better if the picture opened with a maintitle and proceeded thence into action and the story. By the time the patron has bought his seat he knows mbst all he wants to know about the production details. His attendance is not for any purpose of check-up. TELLING THE LAYMAN — Charles W. Curran, one time projectionist, Hollywood scroen writer, playwright, producer for the U. S. Navy, advertising copywriter, account executive, etc., now president of Times Square Productions, making industrial pictures for TV and the industrial screen, is out with a revision of his unique handbook for business executives explaining in nontechnical terms the art of production. It’s in hard covers this time at $3, published by Pelegrini and Cudahy, New York. Everything is there from a glossary of shop terms to union scales. We discover with interest that an I.A.T.S.E. or American Federation of Labor hair dresser draws a minimum of $25 a day, while a C.I.O. hairdresser gets not less than $37.50. CINERAMA DEAL ( Continued from page 15) stallation now would cost approximately $50,000, and equipment $60,000, making a total well under the $175,000 cost cited for the initial locations. As for equipment, there is plenty for projection and sound; and, within 60 days, five Cinerama cameras will be available. Mr. Reeves said. Fabian Plans Installation In At Least 20 Theatres Not less than 20 theatres was the estimate of Mr. Fabian, envisioning a chain of Cinerama installations ; and, he added, lie also sees at least two locations abroad, certainly one in London. He also said : ‘‘The real story is that we have a 146 degree angle and no one else has, and all one has to do is to go to the theatres and see audience reactions again and again. That’s something that gives a real thrill to the showman.” In speaking about equipment, Mr. Reeves noted that some of the faults observers may have in mind were those of early days, possibly due to poor developing, and printing, and new equipment has eliminated these. Mr. Fabian pointed to a $1,600,000 gross in New York, $40,000 sales in tickets three weeks in advance of the Chicago opening, and to sustained public interest generally. He remarked, apropos of questioning about some competitive systems : “The great difference, gentlemen, is, that we have our hit !” Grainger Foresees a Big "Second Chance" Gross A huge gross of $7,500,000 for RKO’s first 3-D film in color by Technicolor. “Second Chance,” has been predicted by J. R. Grainger, president of RKO. Mr. Grainger said the film, which stars Robert Mitchum, Linda Darnell and Jack Palance, will be the medium of establishing “once and for all that 3-D can be a great asset — not just a gimmick — which will enhance the value of a proper story.” Install 3-D in Drive-In SAN FRANCISCO: By the end of this month, 13 drive-ins in the San Francisco exchange territory will have installed 3-D equipment. Included in this list are all the Robert L. Lippert and Blumenfeld theatres, it is reported. "Robe" in CinemaScope to Open at Broadway Roxy Twentieth Century-Fox announced Wednesday that “The Robe,” first CinemaScope production, will open at the Roxy theatre in New York late in August. The theatre will be completely refurbished and re-equipped for the world premiere of the high-budget production. It will be the first showing anywhere of a full feature in CinemaScope. The film, budgeted at $4,000,000 and in color by Technicolor, is an adaptation of the Lloyd C. Douglas best-selling Biblical novel. 18 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JULY II, 1953