Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

ELECTRONICAM FINDS A MARKET IN HOLL YWOOD by WILLIAM R. WEAVER HOLLYWOOD: Three weeks after Electronicam came to Hollywood its head men, vice-president Keeton Arnett of Du Mont Laboratories and Ralph B. Austrian, western manager, are on the point of announcing contractual commitments for use of the system in ranking motion picture and television-film studios. They are also on the point of announcing to the trade at large the availability to motion picture studios of the single-camera Electronicam system, revealed so far privately to a few major studios, brut shortly to be disclosed to the trade in general. Calls Reaction Good At the weekend, prior to leaving Hollywood for his eastern headquarters, Mr. Arnett told Quigley Publications, “Hollywood reaction to our system has far exceeded our anticipation. Attendance at our demonstrations has been on a steady increase, indicating continuing discussion around the industry, person to person, of the Electronicam potential. “Even more encouraging, attendance at our instruction classes, given daily here at the studio to all groups of production workers, has gone up steadily from the beginning. As of last night, when the classes were finished, we had 325 registrants, and of course many who had attended had not signed up formally.” The Du Mont executive continued, “We had expected to encounter professional indifference that didn’t materialize. We had counted on major production people to look askance at an optical system designed for television use and now brought here for submission to theatrical-film producers. We didn’t count on an open-arms reception, nor for unanimous acceptance of our system, brut we did get the former. “As for the latter, it is true that some of our guests have pronounced our system less than perfect. The thing that makes us feel as confident as we do is the fact that the expressions of approval outnumbered greatly the expressions of criticism.” Turned Down Orders Mr. Austrian, asked whether final papers have been signed for any installation of Electronicam in a major theatrical-film studio, said, “None that I can name for publication at this moment,” proceeding then to name privately one of the biggest in town. He went on to point out, “We have turned down a good many orders. We have no intention of allowing Electronicam to be introduced to trade and public in connection with a film of less than top quality. Industry history records a num ber of incidents of a new system of one kind or another being condemned outrightly because it has been used for the first time on a bad picture. We will not let that happen to Electronicam.” Mr. Arnett said the series of demonstrations conducted here, together with the discussions with production executives and personnel, have supplied Du Mont with important indication as to ultimate demands for Electronicam equipment, which until now has been in limited manufacture. He recalled other industry situations of recent date in which sudden adoption of a principle or device had caught manufacturers in short supply. He said Du Mont now can guard against that. The single-camera Electronicam system shortly to be made available to the studios consists, quite simply, of the highly mobile dual camera — in which a standard Mitchell motion picture camera and a television camera are mounted side-by-side to photograph a subject through a single lens — plus two or more monitors which can be placed at whatever points are chosen. To See as Camera Thus, in simplest application, the singlecamera Electronicam enables cinematographer and director to view (on their respective monitors) exactly what the camera is viewing, instead of, as at present, squinting through a finder and guessing. Additional monitors, as for producer, studio head, so on, can be added to convey the same information to offices or wherever desired. Use of the single-camera Electronicam entails employment of one more workman than the present standard camera crew. Electronicam officials say it saves an inestimable amount of time. The lease price of the single-camera system has not been determined. The threecamera system, complete with all operating facilities and equipment, leases for $3,000 the five-day week, on short-term deals. Says Mr. Austrian, “That divides down to $600 a day, or $75 an hour, and Electronicam can save a producer several times that amount before breakfast.” Rename A. A. Exchanger ATLANTA: Allied Artists southern exchanges in this city, Charlotte, Memphis and New Orleans, are now to be known as Allied Artists Southern District Corp. Farnum Heads Extras HOLLYWOOD: The board of directors of the Screen Extras Guild has announced that Franklin Farnum, first vice-president since 1948, will succeed Richard Gordon, who died September 20, as president. Weisenthal to Make Story of Jack Dempsey HOLLYWOOD: The life story of Jack Dempsey will be brought to the screen by producer Sam Weisenthal as an independent venture and will go into production in January for Summer, 1957, release, Mr. Weisenthal has announced. The screenplay, read and approved by Mr. Dempsey, was written by Rowland Barber. For 30 years, Mr. Dempsey said, he had been refusing authorization of his life story on the screen. Telling why he had approved the Weisenthal-Barber version of his life story, Mr. Dempsey, world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1928, said: “Most people wanted to make a story about a fighter. Mr. Weisenthal wants to make a story about a young boy who became a boxer, grew up through the excitement of America between World Wars and lived to be a man who knew life. Being champion doesn’t mean anything. It’s the hard work that goes into it that makes the story.” Mr. Weisenthal, who gave up his contract at RKO to do “The Story of Jack Dempsey,” reportedly is investing his savings and future as a producer in the project. According to Mr. Weisenthal, U. S. exhibitors are enthusiastic about the idea of a Dempsey biography on-screen. “Most of our key exhibitors are old enough to remember paying $50 and $100 a seat for the big fights. They know this is a big picture,” Mr. Weisenthal said. Mr. Weisenthal will make no distribution deal until he has star, director, and the balance of the production details set, he said. First Censorship Law Passed in Minnesota ST. PAUL: The West St. Paul City Council last week voted five to one for passage of the first motion picture censorship law in Minnesota. The law is the result of a petition started by a 14-year-old boy protesting the booking of a Finnish film, “The Witch,” at the West Twins theatre. The youngster saw a trailer for the film on the same program with “The Birds and the Bees.” His protest started a movement which grew into an organized adult demand for censorship. Under the new law, W. R. Frank, owner of the theatre, must submit film titles and synopses to a police commission a week in advance of playdates and a screening must be held for one member of the commission before the film opens at the theatre. Shortly after the “Witch” episode, Mayor John Sperl ordered Mr. Frank to discontinue showing another foreign import, “The Slasher.” Mr. Frank withdrew the film and closed the theatre temporarily. 20 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, OCTOBER 27, 1956