Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Mar 1954)

People in Oke U e in ^/ne t lewd iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiimiiiiimimimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim Eddie Cantor has been appointed lifetime chairman of the “March of Dimes of the Air” by Basil O’Connor, president of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. Charles L. Casanave, Sr., long a member of the industry as exhibitor, producer and distributor, has been elected president of Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Inc., replacing Fred Astaire, who moves up to chairman of the board. Alfred Starr, former president of the Theatre Owners of America, was in New York from Nashville this week. George Robey, widely known vaudeville comedian and film actor in England and G. Darnley Smith, managing director of J. Arthur Rank’s Cinema Television Ltd., were among those honored in London last weekend in the annual New Year’s honor list. The former received a knighthood and the latter was made a commander of Telenews to Metrotone An expansion program under which Telenews news film services for television will be owned and produced henceforth by Hearst Metrotone News, Inc., has been announced jointly by Hearst, International News Service and Telenews Productions, Inc. Metrotone News is owned jointly by the Hearst Corporation and Loew’s, Inc. In accordance with the terms of an outright purchase agreement concluded by the companies, ownership and production of the Telenews daily TV news film, Telenews Weekly News Digest and the Telenews Sports Weekly, will be transferred to Metrotone News. They will continue to bear the Telenews label and will be distributed exclusively through the television sales department of INS, as they have been for the last six years, ever since the debut of the first Telenews syndicated TV news films. Telenews Productions, Inc., will continue in existence as an independent company and will concentrate on the development of its other TV activities such as the production of special TV film programs of a nonnewsreel character and commercial films. "Killers” Opens Feb. 10 RKO Radio’s “Killers from Space,” science-fiction story about an invasion of earth by supermen from another planet, will have its world premiere February 10 at the Golden Gate theatre, San Francisco, Charles Boasberg, general sales manager, announced this week. the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his pioneering achievements in the development of television in England. The Rev. S. Franklin Mack of Bound Brook, N. J., has been elected executive director of the broadcasting and film commission of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U. S. A., succeeding Dr. Ronald Bridges, who will retire February 1. George. J. Schaefer has signed an agreement with the newly organized Stanley Kramer Pictures Corp., to represent the firm as general sales representative. Leon J. Bamberger, sales promotion manager, and Rutgers Neilson, foreign publicity manager, both of RKO Radio Pictures, will be honored by the American Legion as two members holding continuous membership for the longest time. Scrolls will be presented January 20. Two Promotions and an Appointment for UA Abroad United Artists’ foreign sales department this week disclosed two promotions and an appointment. Terry M. Lindner has been named India, Singapore, and Thailand district manager. He had been special representative in India. Tony Chok, former acting manager in Singapore, now is manager. Charles Moses, publicist, has been appointed Continental publicity manager. He will have Paris headquarters. His work will be in cooperation with Pierre Weill, publicity manager in France, and with Richard Condon, home office liaison in Continental Europe with producers making films for UA release. OF BRITISH TOP 12, SIX ENGLISH-MADE LONDON: Newspapermen and commentators here are happily impressed with the results turned up by this Bureau's survey of the 12 top moneymaking pictures in Great Britain last year. The survey revealed that no fewer than six of the top 12 had been made in Britain and that, indeed, of the first five, four were British. The Golden Group is as follows: "A Queen Is Crowned" (British), "The Cruel Sea" (British), "Road to Bali," "Genevieve" (British), "The Red Beret" (British), "Because You're Mine," "Shane," "Quo Vadis," "Moulin Rouge" (British), "Malta Story" (British), "Hans Christian Andersen" and "Snows of Kilimanjaro." British Film Tax Cut Flea Next Month by PETER BURNUP LONDON : Arrangements have been made for J. Boyd Carpenter, Financial Secretary to the British Treasury, to discuss the industry’s claim for entertainment tax remission with representatives of the four trade associations early in February, it was announced here this week. Meanwhile, the Associations’ memorandum to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the subject has been issued. It reminds the Chancellor of his promise, during the debate on the 1953 Finance Bill, to watch the trend in declining attendances and states, “the adverse trend in admissions has continued and competition has increased from other forms of entertainment which are either exempt or bear a much lower rate of taxation.” Statistics are cited in support of the claim for remission on three counts and the memorandum runs : II) If the fall in the net earnings of cinemas is to be stopped, entertainment tax must be reduced by approximately £8.9 million ; (2) If the annual increase in cinema wages and overhead alone is to be recovered, entertainment tax must be reduced by £8 million; (3) If the figures originally aimed at when seat prices, tax and Eady levy were all increased in 1951 are only to be achieved, entertainment tax must be reduced by approximately £6.8 million. V Adolph Zukor has sent a donation of £1,000 to the Trade Benevolent Fund here to endow a bed at Glebelands, the rest home for the Fund’s beneficiaries. The gift is made in a letter to Reginald Bromhead, chairman of the Fund, in which Mr. Zukor says: “Mr. Barney Balaban (Paramount president) and I have known for a long time the very fine work being done by the Benevolent Fund under your guidance, and we are particularly pleased to make this contribution on the occasion of your thirtieth anniversary as chairman.” Screen Extras Get Wage Increase in New Pact Screen extras on January 2 began receiving five per cent more in daily wages, as a result of a new agreement between the Screen Extras and the Association of Motion Picture Producers. They also were given an increase in their automobile allowance from $7.50 to $10, and granted a special “business adjustment” from $6.75 to $7.08. Thus, under the new scale, extras now will be receiving $19.43 a day for general work. Dress extras, riders, and dancers will be getting $26.25; and stand-ins, $18.85. The understanding runs to January 2, 1958. Either party may reopen negotiations January 2, 1956. The SEG membership is still to ratify, by mail. 32 MOTION PICTURE HERALD. JANUARY 9. 1954