Motion Picture Herald (1954)

3 Majors Win Reversal of FRAYNE NAMED SMPTE HEAD Barnett Cites Development at Annual Fall Meeting of Engineer Group LOS ANGELES : Continuation of the teamwork between the artistic and technical brains which developed new styles in film presentation and brought the motion picture to a major turning point in its history, was urged by Herbert Barnett, president of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, at the opening of the Society’s 76th semi-annual convention here Tuesday at the Ambassador Hotel. The five-day session was highlighted by special attention to color, both in motion pictures and on television. In the latter category, RCA Tuesday evening announced a new theatre television system which projects color on a screen up to 15 by 20 feet in size. The system, developed out of the research which led to the development of the RCA home color TV, was described in a paper read by J. E. Volkmann. List New Officers The Society’s board of governors on the opening announced the election as president of John G. Frayne, director of research for the Westrex Corporation. Other officers are Barton Kreuzer, of RCA, executive vice-president; Norwood L. Simmons of Eastman Kodak, editorial vice-president; Byron Roudabush of Byron, Inc., convention vice-president; and Edward S. Seeley of Altec Service, secretary. Another feature of the program was the presentation of eight papers by Eastman Kodak engineers on technical aspects of new equipment used for motion picture, television and color photography. Cites Research Role In his opening address Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Barnett traced the industry’s upswing from a low point touched two years ago and declared, “Today our industry is enjoying the fruits of a two-year investment in engineering and applied research. It is a rare and welcome occasion indeed that permits a motion picture engineer to contribute directly to the immediate benefit of his industry. Through his inability to meet these responsibilities he has gained greater esteem and prestige and has moved forward into new positions of prominence.” Following the opening day luncheon, members adjourned to a business meeting in the Ambassador Hotel theatre, with proposals for increasing membership fees the principal matter on the agenda. At the luncheon the Samuel L. Warner award was given Lorin D. Grignon, of 20th Century-Fox, for engineering work on stereophonic sound. The David Sarnoff Gold JOHN G. FRAYNE Medal award went to Ray D. Kell, of RCA, for important contributions to color television, and the SMPTE Journal Award to Armim J. Hill for his paper in stereoscopy. A special achievement award was given Earl I. Sponable and Herbert E. Bragg for contributions to CinemaScope. Industry Leaders Take "Night of Stars" Posts Barney Balaban, Jack Cohn, Spyros Skouras and Albert Warner have accepted membership as honorary chairmen of the advisory council for the 21st annual “Night of Stars,” United Jewish Appeal benefit show at Madison Square Garden November 22. This year’s “Night” will commemorate the tercentenary of Jewish settlement in America and Theodore Herzl, founder of the world Zionist movement that brought about the establishment of the State of Israel. The show will present stars of radio, stage, television and screen. Sell Five Theatres In North Carolina Five theatres in Kings Mountain, Mount Holly and Cramerton, N. C., have been sold by C. E. and D. E. Cash, both of Kings Mountain, to a Charlotte firm, Stewart and Everett. The theatres involved are the Dixie and Joy at Kings Mountain, the Gaston and Holly at Mount Holly, and the Victory at Cramerton. Wormser to DCA Irving Wormer resigned from the Columbia executive sales staff this week to join Distributors Corporation of America as vice-president and general sales manager. He had been with Columbia 24 years. Trust Case NEW ORLEANS : A judgment of $490,000 against seven major distributors, awarded in Vicksburg, Miss., in 1951 by Judge Sidney L. Mize to Joe Applebaum and Betram E. Simms, operators of the Center theatre, Greenville, Miss., was reversed here last week in the U. S. Fifth Court of Appeals by Judge Ben C. Dawkins and concurred in by Judges Wayne C. Borah and Robert L. Russell. The original Applebaum-Simms complaint charged that they were forced to close their theatre as the result of an alleged conspiracy between the seven defendant film distributors and Paramount Gulf Theatres, operators of the Delta and Paramount theatres, and Clyde G. Darden and W. A. Prewett, operators of the Lake Theatre. The object of the alleged conspiracy, the plaintiffs alleged, was to prevent them from showing first-run films in the Center. The seven distributor defendants were Columbia Pictures, Loew’s, Inc., Republic Pictures, 29th Century-Fox, United Artists, Universal Film Exchanges and Warner In their reversal of the judgment, the three Circuit Court jurists stated that the jurors in the Vicksburg trial were favorably inclined to the plaintiffs as against the non-resident corporations. Fox Total Up To 29 Films Twentieth Century-Fox this week announced the acquisition and distribution of four two dimensional films, one in Eastman color, bringing to 29 the number of films in both CinemaScope and 2-D being offered by the company during 1954. Of the total of 29 attractions, 17 are in CinemaScope and color by De Luxe and Technicolor laboratories, and 12 are in 2-D, of which nine are in color. New additions are “The Outlaw’s Daughter,” a W. Barry production in Eastman color, starring Bill Williams, Kelly Ryan and Jim Davis. The picture will open in November. Also that month, 20th-Fox will release “Black 13,” a F. Proudlocks production directed by K. Hughes starring Peter Reynolds and Rona Anderson. To the December releases have been added “Devil’s Harbor,” a C. Dean production starring Richard Arlen and Greta Gynt, and “The Other Woman,” a Hugo Haas production starring Cleo Moore. CinemaScope pictures slated for openings during the October-December period are: “Woman’s World,” “The Adventures of Fla j j i Baba,” “Black Widow,” “Desiree” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.'” 18 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, OCTOBER 23, 1954