Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1952)

Screen Talk Highlight Of SMHTE Tlie synchro-screen as a “stage setting for motion picture presentation” will be discussed by Benjamin Schlanger and William Hoffberg, New York theatre consultants, and Charles R. Underhill, Jr., RCA Victor Division of the Radio Corporation of America, in a highlight of the second day of the 7 1st semi-annual convention of the Societ}' of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. The meeting will be held at the Drake Hotel in Chicago April 21-25. The synchro screen, as it will be described by the speakers, consists of a motion picture screen with contiguous reflecting side wings, top and bottom panels. Light intensity of the picture surround surfaces synchronously fluctuate with the changes in picture brightness adjacent to the reflecting surround areas. Another highlight of the second day will be talks by W. W. Jennings, Chicago, and Pierre Vanet, Paris, discussing the development of a new direct vision stereo-projection screen. This permits the audience to see third dimension color motion pictures and slides without the aid of conventional Polaroid viewing glasses. The convention gets under way Monday, April 21, with discussions on television which will be continued in the evening session. Screens and control of brightness will occupy the Tuesday morning meeting; while armed forces production will be considered that afternoon, and in the evening, talks will cover magnetic projection, film inspecting and future film uses. The Wednesday morning and afternoon sessions will be devoted to high-speed photography, while the evening will be taken up by the convention cocktail party and banquet. Thursday morning will be left open; the afternoon given over to color and laboratory discussion, and the evening devoted to a general session, one of the features of which will be a speech by Mauro Zambuto, of Scalera Films, Rome, Italy. The convention comes to a close Friday after a morning session devoted to sound and editing and an afternoon discussion of new equipment. 20th-Fox Sales Drive Will Honor Division Managers The week of May 11-17 will be devoted by the 20th-Fox sales organization in the United States and Canada to honoring their division managers. Field distribution heads have promised placement during that week of a subject on every screen in North America. W. C. Gehring, assistant general sales manager, shortly will visit exchanges to help them plan the tribute. One highlight of the week will be the world premiere of “Wait ’Til the Sun Shines, Nellie,” at Hutchinson, Kan. PLANS SHORTS SERIES ON MEDAL WINNERS An appeal to invest in a proposed series of halt-hour featurettes dealing with the exploits of winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor is made by W. R. Frank, head of W. R. Frank Associates in West St. Paul, Minnesota. Mr. Frank, exhibitor and in the past producer of several films, envisions the series for presentation in conventional and drive-in theatres and on television. A total of 45,000 shares is being offered. Budget is set at $22,500 per film and scripts for the first four are in preparation by William Bowers. The total series of 13 films is to be completed upon sponsor acceptance of the first four. Paramount Buys 50% of Lesser's Vistascope Paramount Pictures this week purchased 50 per cent interest in the Vistascope Corporation of America, of which Sol Lesser is president. The corporation plans to set up immediately facilities for, the marketing of the Vistascope, . with the equipment to be made available, on a royalty basis to all comers. The Vistascope, a French invention, permits the use, with live action, of photographs for motion picture foreground settings. Linked directly with the film camera, it eliminates the need for expensive matte shots or the construction of massive foreground sets. The device, which can be used for color as well as black and white, will be of as great use to television stations, broadcasting live, as to motion picture studios, the corporation officials believe. The Vistascope Corporation of America has been exclusively licensed by the French inventors. Mr. Lesser will use it on his next production, “Cave Girl,” and it will make its Paramount debut in an early production. Dureau Says Competition Has Caused Changes The chief way in which conditions facing theatres have changed is in the amount of competition, Gaston J. Dureau, president of Paramount Gulf Theatres, told the company's convention at New Orleans last week. Another speaker was Henry Plitt, vice-president, who stressed maintenance of theatre comfort and courtesy. Other speakers were Maurice Barr, advertising; J. T. Howell, head buyer, and the Rev. Edward Murphy. New York "Post" Carries Film Directory; Others Interested With some 54 New York theatres participating, the Neiu York Post on Monday carried a joint theatre directory. The advertising rate is reduced. Other newspapers interested in the plan are reported to be the Daily Mirror, Daily News and the Journal American. FCC Wants Circuit Film Rental Fatal W ASHIN GTON : Federal Communications Commission examiner Leo Resnick this week directed United Paramount Theatres to submit its total film rental payments in 1951. He also ordered the three television networks— the American Broadcasting Co., Columbia Broadcasting System and the National Broadcasting Co. — to provide figures on their payments for film actually used on the air in 1951 by themselves and owned and operated stations. Mr. Resnick’s ruling opened the proceedings as the FCC resumed its Paramount hearings after a two-week recess. At stake is FCC approval of the proposed merger , between UPT and ABC. The rental figures are to include amounts paid for feature films, shorts and docursentaries as well as films specially produced for television showings. Mr. Resnick denied a DuMont motion to require UPT to produce the financial reports of its subsidiaries. The only witness to appear Monday was Gordon Brown, owner of Station WSAY in Rochester, N. Y., formerly an ABC affiliate. Mr. Brown has carried on a running battle with the network for years over alleged monopolistic practices. He opposed the merger on the grounds that it would strengthen the ABC monopoly. Other witnesses to have testified this week were Robert F. Wilby, A. H. Blank and several UPT directors. Barney Balaban, president of Paramount Pictures, and Paul Raibourn, vice-president, were expected to be recalled to the stand by FCC attorneys. B & K 1951 Net Profit Is Put At $1,646,637 CHICAGO : Balaban and Katz Corp. Wednesday reported a net income of $1,646,637 equivalent to $6.20 a share on the common stock, for the fiscal year ended December 29, 1951. This compares with a net of $2,175,354 for the same period in 1950 when earnings equalled $8.28 per share. In his report to stockholders, John Balaban, president, said dividends paid in 1951 amounted to $6 compared with $7.25 in 1950. He said he believed the long-range effect of television on the motion picture business had been exaggerated. Slightly more than half the company’s profits last year came from its television station which netted around $850,000 compared with $300,000 in 1950. Despite some increases in costs, TV earnings this year are running about even with 1951 while theatre profits are down slightly. Pioneers Raise Initiation The board of directors of the Motion Picture Pioneers this week passed a resolution increasing its initiation fee from $10 to $25 as a result of “increased costs of operation beyond the control of the executives.” 38 MOTION PICTURE HERALD. APRIL 19. 1952