Motion Picture Herald (1954)

HORIZONTAL FEED FEATURE OF VISTAVISION'S CAMERA THIS IS the VistaVisi on camera, made by Mitchell. It has the left side magazine removed to show how film is fed horizontally into the photographing track. The projectors which now are specially made also have magazines located so the film may be run horizontally. For pictures of this mechanism, with its necessary special looping, and an explanation in some detail, turn to Better Theatres, page 32. Hyman Sees Product, Says Industry Will Keep Lead The motion picture industry will lead all forms of entertainment, Edward L. Hyman, vice-president of the American BroadcastingParamount Theatres’ circuit, said this week, while visiting the studios, where he saw the latest pictures. He said, in particular, “There is nothing on the market today in any device that the magnificence and scope of our wide screens, color and fine sound cannot equal or surpass.” Mr. Hyman also advocated a “continuity” of publicity, with publicity men assigned to a picture from its inception, and pointed out that particularly important was to keep a picture “alive” during its life “on the shelf”. Manitoba Exhibitors Plan Tax Repeal Rally TORONTO : A mass rally at the Manitoba Legislature Buildings in Winnipeg is planned for November 1 by the Manitoba Motion Picture Exhibitors’ Association which is seeking tax relief. In a letter from the committee organizing the mass rally, Ben Sommers said exhibitors are on the verge of bankruptcy because of the local recession caused by crop conditions and TV. The only salvation for exhibitors at this time, he said, was the retention by exhibitors of the weekly tax remittances. “This would be enough to make the difference between profit and loss, a needed improvement in financial position” if the ex hibitors will co-operate “in the most important rallies in the history of our business,” said Mr. Sommers. The exhibitors will press for the elimination of the amusement tax on all tickets priced 50 cents and under. Mr. Sommers, owner of the State, Winnipeg, will lead the delegation and act as its spokesman after a meeting at the Marlborough Hotel, Winnipeg. In connection with the meeting Paramount will hold a trade screening of “White Christmas.” "Pagan" and "Paris" Set As Holiday Releases Universal-International has set “Sign of the Pagan” and “So This Is Paris” as its Christmas-New Year releases, it is announced by Charles J. Feldman, vice-president and general sales manager. “Sign of the Pagan,” said by Universal to be its most costly negative, tells the story of Attila the Hun and was produced in CinemaScope and Technicolor. It stars Jeff Chandler and Jack Palance. “So This Is Paris” is a Technicolor musical featuring Tony Curtis, Gloria deHaven and Gene Nelson. S!ey Building Two More Harry Sley, who renovated the Viking, Philadelphia, after taking it from Warners, plans two more in the center of the city. Mr. Sley owns the Sley Garages, in that city, and only reecntly entered the motion picture industry. Outside Aid Co tie Milled The possibility of a voluntary code for exterior advertising in New York City disappeared this week when representative city exhibitors and License Commissioner Edward T. McCaffrey, along with religious, civic and business leaders, rejected the suggested plan as a form of censorship which may appear to be harmless now, but in the future may be dangerous. The group, meeting in the commissioner’s office, received a pledge from two theatres of the Times Square area, which had earlier been brought in on “indecency” and “immoral” complaints, for further cooperation in self-regulating advertising in lobby displays and theatre marquees. Exhibitors in attendance rejected any sort of exterior advertising code, pointing out that “there is no need for censorship as theatres are selfregulating in use of advertising.” Commissioner McCaffrey, it was reported, said that any statements emerging from his office as to the proposed exterior advertising code were misinterpreted and it was his intention just to suggest some form of selfregulation. Dr. Lawrence Receives Patent For Color Television Tube WASHINGTON : The United States Patent Office this week granted Dr. Ernest O. Lawrence, Nobel Prize physicist, a patent covering a basic invention for what is described as “better and less expensive color television picture tubes.” Dr. Lawrence developed the Chromatron or Lawrence color tube as a member of the board of and a consultant to Chromatic Television Laboratories, a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures. Chromatic will not manufacture the tube or receiving sets in quantity, but will make licensing agreements with cathode ray picture tube manufacturers who in turn provide tubes for set manufacturers. Magnetic Sound Developed For Color TV Films The development of a 16mm magnastriper which permits magnetic sound for color television films was reported to the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers at its 76th semi-annual convention last week by Edward Schmidt of Reeves Soundcraft, Inc., New York. It was described as a 16mm version of the 35mm equipment which produces magnetic stereophonic sound on CinemaScope films. Besides television, other users would include producers of educational, commercial and training films. Two Drive-ins Sold Sale of two drive-in theatres in the San Antonio, Tex., area, the backland and the Kelly, is announced by Thuman Barrett, Jr., for a reported $275,000. Buyer is Lone Star Theatres, Inc., of Dallas, owned by the Pack-Murchison interests. 14 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, OCTOBER 30, 1954