Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Sep 1953)

People in Dlie f]t e in su e t lews mimniiiimmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiitiimiimiiiu Eric A. Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, has been confirmed by the Senate to be chairman of the International Development Advisory Board, following his nomination by President Eisenhower. i Nicholas M. Schenck, Charles C. Moskowitz, Charles M. Reagan, Howard Dietz and Oscar Doob, returned to New York last weekend from conferences at the MGM studio. Robert Goodfried, has been named exploitation manager in the Paramount studio publicity department, heading a new unit organized by publicity director Teet Carle to handle pre-release exploitation, commercial tie-ups, previews, premieres, junkets and key openings. Arnold M. Picker, United Artists foreign distribution vice-president, left London by air last weekend for a 10-day tour of Germany and Italy. Robert M. Gillham, has been elected a vice-president of Cunningham and Walsh, Inc., to serve in an executive capacity on the Liggett and Myers Tobacco account. Legion Reviews Nineteen; Finds 14 Unobjectionable The National Catholic Legion of Decency this week reviewed 19 pictures, and finds five morally objectionable in part for all, these being “Arena,” “From Here to Eternity,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “I, The Jury,” and “O.K., Nero.” In Class A, Section Two, morally unobjectionable for adults are “City Is Dark,” “Genghis Khan,” “Gentle Gunman,” “Roman Holiday,” “The Sword and The Rose,” and “Vice Squad.” In Class A, Section One, morally unobjectionable for general patronage are “It Came From Outer Space,” “The Kid From Left Field,” “Melba,” “Mission Over Korea,” “The Sea Around Us,” “Shoot First,” “So This Is Love,” “Valley of Head Hunters.” Meanwhile the Legion also had changed its classification of “Arrowhead,” which it had found objectionable. Now it is in the category objectionable only for general patronage. Allied Artists Will Make Three In Auqust Allied Artists will put three pictures before the cameras in August, Walter Mirisch, executive producer, disclosed in Hollywood last week. Two of them will be in 3-D, he added. The pictures are “Dragonfly Squadron,” in 3-D, which John Champion will produce, using John Hodiak as star, and with Lesley Selander directing; “Riot In Ray Canavan, associated with the E. M. Loew circuit in Boston for the past 13 years, has been named executive assistant to Mr. Loew, president of the company. Lou Gerard, industry writer, has been named director of advertising, publicity and exploitation of Box Office Television, Inc., theatre TV organization. George Ganetakos and B. C. Salamis, Montreal exhibitors were among those cited by Greek Ambassador to Canada, Raoul Bibica-Rosetti for assistance rendered to Greece in relief and other fields. Richard S. Leghorn, assistant manager of Eastman Kodak’s European and Overseas Organization, also has been appointed manager of Kodak Portuguesa, Ltd. Robert W. Selig, executive assistant to the president of Fox Inter-Mountain Theatres, has been reelected president of the board of trustees of the University of Denver. Deon Detitta, chief projectionist for 20th Century-Fox, has retired after 37 years with the company. Cell Block 12,” a Walter Wanger picture to be directed by Don Siegel ; and “House in the Sea,” which Richard Conte will star in along with Wanda Hendrix. This will be in 3-D, with William F. Broidv producing and Jerry Juran directing. Schaefer Buys British Novel; Closes TV Deal George Schaefer, distribution executive, returned to New York last week with the screen rights to the British novel “The Singer, Not the Song,” by Audrey Erskine Leslie, a top best seller in the British Isles. He said the picture will be made there as his own project, with an executive producer still to be named and a screenplay to be written. He added he also negotiated with singer Patrice Munsel for a series of musical films to be made in Italy, which he will distribute here for television. They each run 27 minutes and will be made by her husband, Robert Schuler. Industry In Williams Tribute Baseball player Ted Williams’ homecoming to New England will be marked by extensive industry participation. The welcome home banquet August 17 at the Hotel Statler, Boston, will be co-sponsored by the Variety Club, along with the Red Sox ; and on the welcoming committee includes Martin Mullin, New England Theatres president, and William Koster, executive director of the Variety Club. Critic Gets Into Booking Argument Showmen of Oakland, Cal., who’ve been feeling they’re neglected in their clearances in favor of the large area of across-the-bay San Francisco, have a powerful ally in Wood Soanes, drama critic of the Oakland Tribune, who’s been crusading for better pictures in his home town. He wrote lately, in part : “There is no escaping the fact that the movies are suffering the torments of the damned at the boxoffices of Metropolitan Oakland . . . the basic cause, it seems to me, has been overlooked entirely. Good pictures do not get here until they have been milked dry at the boxoffice' of San Francisco. “This is not the fault of the Fox West Coast or the Blumenfeld Theatres, who serve the first run houses in Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda. It is the fault of the Hollywood producers who, through their controlled distributing agencies, have maintained steadfastly through the years that Metropolitan Oakland, for want of a better term, is a ‘one horse town,’ if not ‘the bedroom of San Francisco’.” Mr. Soanes also added : "On the rare occasions when some crazy, nervous, mixed up little kid in the booking offices has decided to open a film simultaneously in Oakland and San Francisco, the results are frightening. The last example that comes to mind is ‘The House of Wax.’ The Oakland run outgrossed the San Francisco engagement.” Streibert Heads Government Overseas Information Theodore C. Streibert, former board chairman of the Mutual Broadcasting System, was named last week by President Eisenhower to head the Government’s Overseas information program. His title will be Administrator of the International Information Administration, from which Dr. Robert L. Johnson resigned. Mr. Streibert had been recalled from Germany, where he was consultant on public affairs in the office of the High Commissioner. Congress Gives Information Services $75,000,000 Congress before adjourning gave the United States Information Agency $75,000,000 in a sort of compromise over disputed allocations. Of the amount $70,000,000 is for the Voice of America, the film program, and other activities. The remainder is for liquidation of certain operations and personnel. The Agency is an unit just created by transfer of the State Department’s International Information Administration to an autonomous status. The original budget request was for $87,900,000. 32 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, AUGUST 8, 1953