Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Mar 1954)

Praise Film Industry for Overseas Aid WASHINGTON: The motion picture industry has given excellent cooperation to the Government’s overseas film program, even distributing important Government information films, a Congressional investigating sub-committee was told this week. The statement was made in a lengthy report submitted by the U. S. Information Agency to a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, which has been studying the overseas information program. The subcommittee, headed by Sen. Hickenlooper (R., Ia.), wound up its investigation of USIA on Friday with testimony from agency director Theodore C. Streibert. The report was released when Mr. Streibert took the witness stand. The Senate sub-committee will now work on its final report and then disband. One of the sub-committee’s earlier recommendations was for better liaison between USIA and the motion picture industry and other private media. “During the last six months,” the agency report declared, “several major contributions to the development of the motion picture program have been made by the motion picture industry, the result of close cooperation through continuing liaison. The industry has made available its world-wide commercial distribution facilities to obtain a quick play-off on important picture subjects of current interest.” The industry has also made available film writers and technicians “at terms favorable to the Government,” and top industry executives serve as Government consultants, the report said. Another earlier Senate sub-committee recommendation was that the USIA get industry cooperation “to lessen the number of objectionable commercial films sent abroad.” The USIA report said the agency is trying to get industry cooperation “in regard to the subject matter and quality of the films it distributes abroad.” In order to help the industry appraise its films overseas, the report added, USIA makes available information reported by agency missions abroad concerning local reaction to U. S. commercial films. “This information is forwarded to the Motion Picture Association of America for use in considering requests to individual producers to limit a film’s circulation,” the report said. Chromatic Television Expands for Color Chromatic Television Laboratories has added, new grid-producing facilities at Emeryville, Cal. This will enable it to produce more 21 and 24-inch compatible color television tubes. The company foresees an annual rate of more than 25,000 grids, which are described as the principal “bottleneck” in current manufacture of color tubes. Kansas City Theatre Wins $50,000 Trust Judgment KANSAS CITY: A judgment of $50,000 has been awarded to the Oak Park Theatre here against five distributors wbo were also enjoined by Judge Albert L. Reeves, of U. S. District Court, from violating a contract with the theatre on film sales. The defendants in the action and against which the judgment was entered are Fox Midwest Theatre, Paramount, RKO Radio, Warner Brothers, Universal and Columbia. The suit grew out of an agreement made in 1951 by the Oak Park and the defendants in which the theatre obtained the right to second-run features in the zone where it is located without having to bid for them against the Fox circuit. 11 oifUery Dies at 71 CHICAGO : Harris P. Wolfberg, 71, president of Wolfberg Theatres, died here January 16 after an illness of several months. He was buried Wednesday in Kansas City. Mr. Wolfberg was president of the company which owned two first-run theatres and five drive-ins in Denver and had interests in several theatres in Southern California. He was active for years in Allied States Association. Entering show business as a rider for the old Essanay Film Company in Chicago, he soon switched to selling, and prior to World War I, owned his own distributing company. After serving overseas in the war, he became MGM district manager in charge of Indianapolis, Cincinnati and St. Louis. He went to Denver in 1945, acquired the Broadway and Paramount, and built five drive-ins. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Ruth Wolfberg; his son, John M., a Los Angeles theatre owner ; and four grandchildren. Jesse Thomas Sheffield, Northwest Distributor SEATTLE: Jesse Thomas Sheffield, 69, long-time film distributor in the Northwest, died here January 13 after a long illness. Mr. Sheffield, who retired from active business in 1946, organized the Sheffield film exchange system which had offices throughout this area, and at various times held distribution franchises from other firms. Stephen P. Fitzgibbon; Managed Movietone Studio Stephen P. Fitzgibbon, who managed the Fox Movietone studio in New York, and also had managed the Paramount studios in Paris and London, died Sunday, in New York, at 71. Mr. Fitzgibbon was the man who installed sound in the Paris and London studios. He retired six years ago. A native of Boston, he was brought into the business by Joseph P. Kennedy. His widow, son Stephen, and foster son Roget Dann survive. Telts MIotv Cinerama Was Sold Selling Cinerama required a new approach because of certain problems, John Joseph, advertising and publicity director of that medium, told the Showmanship School of the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers, New York last Thursday. Mr. Joseph told of the problems and the approach. The problems were, that the only publicity stills available were a few location shots ; that there were no advertising stills and no pictorial stills ; and that taking strips from the three films and blending them just wasn't feasible. “So the advertising foundation,” he said, “was built around a few salient points: that Cinerama was a film with a new dimension ; that this dimension put the spectator right in the picture. And, since only a few advertisements, specially in our business, are effective without illustrations, somebody came up with a bright idea. Composite stills were made to illustrate the point that Cinerama puts you into the picture.” Additionally, the public had to be educated that the picture would not be in the neighborhoods. Even words used in advertising were dangerous, he pointed out, because so easily they could make Cinerama sound like a travelogue. Filmakers' "The Bigamist" To Have Mass Opening A mass opening of Filmakers’ “The Bigamist” is planned for February 10 in Fox West Coast southern California theatres. Some of the 25 houses are the Los Angeles, Vogue, Ritz, and Loyola, in Los Angeles; the Academy, Pasadena ; California, Huntington Park ; Fox, Pomona ; and Fox, San Bernardino. The day and date bookings will be spread from Santa Barbara to San Diego. Legion Reviews Nine Pictures for Week The National Legion of Decency this week reviewed nine features, and has placed five in Class 1A, unobjectionable morally for general patronage. These are “The Glenn Miller Story,” “Pickwick Papers,” “Riders to the Stars,” “Saadia,” and “Secret of Outlaw Flats.” Termed morally unobjectionable for adults are “It Should Happen to You,” “The Passionate Sentry,” “Personal Affair,” and “Three Young Texans.” Sidney Greenstreet HOLLYWOOD : Sidney Greenstreet, 74, British-born actor, died Tuesedav in Hollywood of natural causes. Mr. Greenstreet was seen in such films as “The Maltese Falcon,” “Mask of Demetrios” and "The Conspirators.” 32 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JANUARY 23, 1954