Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Mar 1954)

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A LIVELY . ANAMORPHIC ASPECT YEAH WAS 1953 by VINCENT CANBY As 1953 drew to a close, it was quite evident that it had been a year dominated by the new screen techniques. The evidences were diverse and conclusive : C[J Sophie Tucker, celebrating her 50th year in show business, added to her repertoire a number entitled “I’m A 3-D Mama With A Big Wide Screen.” Miss Tucker, who was not born yesterday, knows a trend when she sees one. €J Moody’s Investors Service, an august financial house of Wall Street, in its year-end survey, placed motion picture company stocks among “groups in most favorable position,” noting that the “industry is still feeling the impact of television and adjusting itself to new techniques designed to lure customers. The stocks advanced spectacularly in the last weeks, with 20th-Fox and Universal common on Monday hitting the year’s peaks. At the same time, Moody’s placed television and radio stocks among “groups in least favorable position.” Enough said. Today’s oaks are, of course, yesterday’s acorns. In the case of new techniques, the acorns were two, both sown in the last days of 1952: the September opening of “This Is Cinerama” in New York and the Los Angeles opening in September of Arch Oboler’s 3-D “Bwana Devil.” In the ensuing 12month no less than 35 3-D films were made and this week exhibitors had available for holiday showings no less than five topbudget CinemaScope features. Television ad men, too, have jumped on the band wagon. They now are pushing the 27-inch screen for its glorious “panoramic” qualities. The new screen in New York’s Music Hall is 70 feet wide and 28 feet tall. Although 1953 was not marked by decisive action in the field of trade practice harmony, the year did see corporation history made, by S. H. Fabian, 20th Century-Fox, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres and RKO Radio. These involved large and optimistic stock purchases, a merger of exhibition and television interests and a victory by 20th-Fox veterans in a proxy battle with a stockholder. Industry Cooperated In Tax Campaign The year also saw an example of unparalleled industry cooperation in the heartbreaking drive for repeal of the Federal admissions tax, a drive marked by unhoped for success until President Eisenhower’s last minute veto of the Mason bill August 6. The drive, however, gave COMPO its spurs and promise of favorabel action in 1954. "SCREEN TECHNIQUES" VITAL CONTRIBUTION Marking 1953 as the year of progress in film production and projection systems was the publication of "New Screen Techniques," a volume of 26 articles by industry leaders edited by Martin Quigley, Jr. Enthusiastic reaction to the volume is still coming in from all quarters. The December issue of the "American Cinematographer" calls it "a clear, concise, profusely illustrated guide" while the December issue of the "Journal of Franklin Institute" suggests that "those who wish a factual and impartial presentation of this new art form would do well to read this book." In Australia, "Film Weekly" in its December 10 issue, editorialized that the volume "will help managers to tell the story of new dimensions, and get their facts right . . . too many know too little of what they are talking. And it is time to get on your feet and talk." High-grossing pictures this year broke all previous records. Strong managers grew weak in anticipation, reading the reports on “The Robe,” “House of Wax” and “From Here to Eternity,” to name a few. Adolph Zukor, at 80, issued a book of reminiscences and travelled the world to receive tribute on his Golden Jubilee. Marilyn Monroe, having started as a press agent’s dream, became an institution. The year has been a calendar of events to remember. As 1953 got under way, talk of new techniques revolved principally around a third dimension. In January, Spyros P. Skouras of 20th-Fox had just returned from a global trip and was synthesizing all he had seen. On February 1, however, he dropped his anamorphic bombshell. Within several weeks the process, originally called by the tongue-twisting name of “Anamorphosis” by its inventor, Professor Henri Chretien of Paris, was renamed CinemaScope and “The Robe” was before the cameras. The climax of the first stages of the great endeavor came September 16 when “The Robe” received its world premiere at New York’s Roxy theatre. Intervening were CinemaScope demonstrations throughout the world, one of the greatest re-tooling programs ever undertaken by the industry, as well as one of the greatest gambles. The announcement by 20th-Fox in March that it was converting to an all-CinemaScope policy, implemented by a $35,000,000 production program, was shortly followed by scheduling of CinemaScope productions by MGM, Columbia, Allied Artists, Universal and various others. The Brothers Warner, who had been true 3-D’s greatest boosters, in July announced their own anamorphic process, Warner SuperScope, later shortened to WarnerScope, and still later abandoned in favor of CinemaScope and standardization. At year end, the Warner CinemaScope program rivaled that of 20th-Fox. 3-D and Aspect Ratio Talk Starred Early in Year Concurrent with all this, of course, was the activity in the 3-D field and the beginnings of the battle of the aspect ratios. By February of the year, there were three 3-D programs playing simultaneous engagements on Broadway. These included “Bwana Devil,” the British-made Stereo-Techniques shorts and a Bolex-Stereo program called Triorama. Columbia won the major studio race to see which would be the first to place its own stereo film in a Broadway showcase. It’s “Man in the Dark” opened April 8 at the Globe, followed two days later by Warners’ “House of Wax” at the Paramount, the latter being the first of the new type films to be released with stereophonic sound. The early 3-D films made fabulous grosses, but they declined in favor as a number of undisguised “quickies” went into circulation. It wasn’t until the end of the year, with the improvement of the polarizing viewers and release of quality product (“Kiss Me, Kate,” “Hondo,” “Cease Fire!” “Miss Sadie Thompson”) that 3-D could be said to be approaching maturity. The hubbub caused by all the 3-D and CinemaScope talk led to open and healthy discussion about the so-called standard screen’s dimensions. Seeking ways to give a new look to the backlog of conventional product, studio technicians began masking the aperture plate and coming up with new aspect ratios which they urged on exhibitors. Paramount and Republic backed the 1.66 to 1 ratio; MGM the 1.75 to 1 ratio and Columbia and Universal the 1.85 to 1 ratio. The end effect was often more footless and topof-the-headless than panoramic, but it did serve to get more new screens into more theatres than had been installed in years. Formed Magna to Produce Films on 65mm Stock In work, too, were other innovations. In March Joseph M. Schenck and Michael Todd announced the formation of the Magna Corporation to make films on 65mm stock. Carl Dudley in June announced the availability of Vistarama, an anamorphic process similar to CinemaScope. By the end of the year, at least two one-strip 3-D systems were in the immediate offing, Matthew Fox’s Moropticon and the Nord system. The exhibitors, as usual, took all this in ( Continued on following page ) MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JANUARY 2, 1954 25