Technicolor News & Views (December 1952)

INDIA CALLED ACTIVE FIELD FOR TECHNICOLOR In India audi- ences like their pictures long and colorful with a potpourri of ele- ments, according to Mehboob Khan, head of Mehboob Pro- ductions, Inc., of Bombay, who visited Holly- wood this autumn to inspect American production facilities. Khan produced “Aan,” first all-Indian feature to be exhibited with Prints by technicolor. He is now going into pro- duction of “The Immortals,” photographed in technicolor’s Monopack. “Aan” (the word means “honor,” “pres- tige,” “dignity,” “self-respect,” all that is implied in the term “face”) began produc- tion in 1949. It was three years in the making, although not all this time was consumed in actual shooting. “Aan” was photographed in Kodachrome, its prints being processed by technicolor ltd. at London. Khan used an all-Indian cast and technicians. In addition to the effort expended in dealing with a new medium, there were equipment difficulties. Also, “Aan” had to be shot in two lan- guages, Hindi and Tamil, oldest of the Dravidian tongues, much used in southern India. For London exhibition there were sub-titles in English. How well Khan surmounted his obstacles of production is illustrated by the fact that in its first four weeks of exhibition in 98 Indian theatres “Aan” grossed 40 lakhs of rupees, about £280,000. This, according to Khan, is a box-office record for India. The picture, released in August, also went into exhibition in Pakistan, Burma, Ceylon, Africa and the Middle East, and began a long run in London. “Aan” screens two hours and 45 minutes in Indian release, but was cut to about two hours for London. “Our audiences in India like their shows long,” said Khan. “They also like pictures consisting of various elements of entertain- ment, such as drama with songs and dances. ‘Aan’ might be described as a musical with romance and action. “Indian audiences prefer color in their pictures, and our country is a colorful sub- ject for the camera. I view India as a very promising field for production in Color by technicolor, and hope to see a techni- color laboratory established there. “India is now second only to the United States in the number of films produced.” TECHNICOLOR PROFIT 3rd QUARTER AND FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1952 The consolidated net profit after taxes on income of technicolor, inc., for the quar- ter ended September 30, 1952, is estimated to be $474,087, equivalent to 50fS per share, as compared to $500,131, equivalent to 54^ per share, for the corresponding quarter of 1951, with taxes for the third quarter of 1951 adjusted to the effective rate paid for the entire year, according to Dr. Herbert T. Kalmus, President and General Manager. The consolidated net profit after taxes on income of technicolor, inc., for the nine months ended September 30, 1952, is esti- mated to be $1,499,507, equivalent to $1.60 per share, as compared to $1,561,525, equivalent to $1.68 per share, for the cor- responding nine months of 1951, with taxes for the nine months of 1951 adjusted to the effective rate paid for the entire year, Dr. Kalmus stated. UNIV.-INT’L NAMES JANUARY AS ‘TECHNICOLOR MONTH’ With three scheduled releases in Color by technicolor, Universal- International designated January, 1953, as “Technicolor Month.” The three Color by technicolor releases slated for January are “The Lawless Breed,” “City Beneath the Sea” and “Meet Me at the Fair.” SIMULTANEOUS SHOWINGS AT 20 L. A. FIRST-RUN HOUSES Twenty first-run houses in the Los Angeles territory were showing pictures in Color by technicolor concurrently during early September. “Son of Paleface” (Paramount) was showing at seven theatres; “Where’s Charley?” (Warner Bros.) at three houses; and “Merry Widow” (Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer), “Rainbow ’Round My Shoulder” (Columbia), “What Price Glory” (20th Century-Fox), “The Wild Heart” (United Artists) and “The World in His Arms” (Universal-International) at two theatres each. .Jf PARAMOUNT HAS THREE ON BROADWAY CONCURRENTLY Three Paramount pictures in Color by technicolor playing on Broadway simul- taneously was the subject of a Paramount double-page advertisement in Boxoffice (Sept. 20). The three productions in Color by technicolor were “Just for You” (Bing Crosby) at the Capitol; “Son of Paleface” (Bob Hope) at the Paramount; and “Some- body Loves Me” (Betty Hutton) at the Roxy. Mehboob Khan Technicolor Short Subjects “Barney’s Hungry Cousin’’ “Busy Body Bear’’ “Calling on Capetown’’ “Cruise of the Zaca” “Fiesta in Sports’’ “Fool Coverage” “Forest Fantasy” - M-G-M - M-G-M — FitzPatrick, M-G-M — Warner Bros. — Warner Bros. - W. B. Cartoons -- famous, Par. ‘Gerald McBoing Boing’s Symphony” - United Prods., Col. “Hair Cut-Ups” “Hare Lift” “Hotsy Footsy” “How to Be a Detective” “In the Land of Diamonds” “Mice Capades” “Missing Mouse, The” “Mouse Meets Bird” - Terrytoons, 20th-Fox — W. B. Cartoons - United Prods., Col. - Disney, RKO — FitzPatrick, M-G-M - Famous, Par. - M-G-M - Terrytoons, 20th-Fox “Rabbit’s Kin” “Shuteye Popeye” “Snappy Snapshots” “Tee for Two” “Terrier Stricken” “Trick or Treat” “True Boo” “Two Weeks Vacation” “Wise Quacks” — W. B. Cartoons — Famous, Par. — Terrytoons, 20th-Fox - M-G-M — W. B. Cartoons - Disney, RKO — Famous, Par. — Disney, RKO -Terrytoons, 20th-Fox © WARNER BROS. CARTOONS, INC. © LOEW'S, iNC. “BUGS BUNNY” “JERRY, JUMBO and TOM” Edward Selzer, Fred Quimby, Producer Producer © COLUMBIA PICTURES. INC. Scene from “MADELINE” United Productions of Americo Stephen Bosustow, Producer © WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS “PLUTO and MICKEY MOUSE” Walt Disney, Producer SEVEN