Variety (November 1961)

~~ o£ work before being ~ able to-|. Wednesday,. November I, 1961 Think MCA Di Due “as Major Producer | Speculation: ig running high in’ Wall Street concerning possible: acquisition, ofa major film: company: by ‘Music: Corp. ‘of. America, This is said to account largely for the stock market activity in the MCA common issue. which, selling in the mid-70s, is ‘justshort of an alltime high. It went-up.$4.50 last week, and. for some.time has been about the most active of all show. business issues... It’s: pretty much of an open secret that. MCA ‘will chuck its. talent . azehcy business within ‘the Next year and ‘will engage in ~ feature filmmaking. There’s no official comment on the. chances of the rumors. of. this happening. some time: in the future have the Wall Streeters’ keeping a close ‘watch. . One downtowner offered ‘the uncorifitmed-. information ‘that MCA has one ‘major in: mind.. This, he said, could be. accomplished by: a transfer of: steck: High Paramount sources said there have been no discussions con ‘cerning a possible tieup with either. MCA or its Revue. Productions subsidiary. Some sort. of get-together. has been. widely. rumored. However, it was made known that certain Par’ reps. on: the ‘Coast. tundertook to learn the nature of. Revue's television | operation, _ From this sprouted the speculation. ; . Agents’ 9). Day-Grace-on Results Attacked by One SAG Nominee’ es Hollywood, Oct. 31. Age-old ‘practice of agents ana ing thelr clients for a “91-day! Period: before latter may” change ]. Yepresentation is tobe. challenged on .the: platform . of: Patrick -Haw|. ‘ley, campaigning to replace George {| .was fired by studio and: comChandler: as ~“prexy.. of Screen pany. contends. he was. merely" Actors Guild. | ~ guspended due to the writer's ‘Hawley; on an indie: ticket,. also.| ‘strike in March, 1960, has beenplans __ to... investigate. numerous | ‘taken under advisement by the. changes. and reforms within the} U.. S. District ‘Court. of ‘ADS Guild-“to better the: position “of| ‘peals.. the rank and file performer.” i Actor, who starred in “WB's The candidate told a meeting of| _Maver ick’’: series,.demands a 2 200 thesps at a rally that he“plans full-year's salary at $1,750 per to demand ‘that talent agents make regular monthly written ‘reports .._ both ta SAG and to their clients in|. ‘which ‘they. oufline their ‘activities : on behalf of their. clients. “Ninety-one days ‘is too long a : period for a performer to be -out ‘The Money. Stopped Los Angeles, Oct. 31. -James ‘Garner's ‘suit against. ‘Warner ros., in which: he dio's: move constituted a-can. cellation, of his: contract. ‘Too Lil Buy-Sell, Universal Shares May Be De-Listed change agents,” he said.:Toomany agents, he noted. “say they. are doing things for actors and Teally. aren’t working.’ (Under. ‘present SAG’ rules, an. | -actor may dismiss his agent if -he fails to get ‘him 15 days” work in; 90 days). _[heart on the “part. of the-New York Stock Exchange, which is unlikely. Governors: of ‘the ‘Exchange have decided: to. suspend trading in’ both the common. and preferred U: secur ities Nov. 6, Reason is. there: hasn't Pix Every W Weck As Competition ea Te uae ‘lwood: and New ‘| disposal. of some 500. performers: now handled by MCA. Will. most weék,: on ground ‘that the stu| .| secretive. Teulties. with the Federal. govern Universal is going off. the. big. {board unless: ‘there's achange. of. Exchange. action came as no Ssur|. ~ SHIFT AGENCIES ‘Hollywood, Oct. 31. Lo When the biggest operator in. tal:jent agenting. stops representing “taking over: an established. ‘producer-distributor. but ‘nonetheless: talent, what happens? ~Presum ably there is to be a big “grab” of}. names. now handled by the Music: {| Corp. of America. which is. widely fexpected: to quit the agenting and | ‘|.concentrate on producing.. A con flict of interest has long existed, |. {being criticized by the Sereen Ac tors Guild ‘as an instance of the}. ‘buyer buyi ing. from himself and de-|. The iden| ‘| tical situation existed 25 years ago] Jin radio, being. ‘one reason. for the |: ducting a commission. formation of the original American Federation. of Radio Artists and ultimately; ona hint from the Federal Communications Commission, of CBS. and NBC dropping . their} artists bureau which had also been. collecting commissions for ‘hiring their own -clients.. Rumors. are rife both. in HollyYork: as .to. the. of these or all of these go on the| open. market, or will certain -present executives of -MCA take thein under a new banner’? ’ It is figured that . _MCA's..key agency subsidiary: exees will do just that. ‘It does not follow that, MCA it‘self will abandon other-than-film agenting. Just how the. change will ; ‘be plotted is a closely kept ‘secret. The most brilliat, dynamic and. ‘many-sided . of the talent. brokeri ages, MCA has immemorially been} Hence its present diffi ment, After long refusal.to “taik” : .|for the FCC, MCA’s case is now ' before the. Dept. of: Justice ‘anti-; trust division. That: may, of course. take. years for any action and be’ | Somew hat academic. Actually at this writing MCA has | yet to confirin ‘its exit from talent: but -the Screen Actors. Guild. points OF DIVORCE PICTURES SJ Is Stevens Film On? Hollywood, Oct. 31. George Stevens is still prep‘ping “The Greatest Story Ever Toid” for a Feb. 1 starting date, but-upon his return from N; Y¥. last week was non-committal on plans for his projected spectacle. .Producer, following 20thFox nixing picture and turn‘ing over property to him in settlement, sessioned with ‘George Skouras. prexy of Magna Pictures and United Artists Theatres, while in the east, but nothing was re‘solved during lengthy discussions. For time being. the Steyens unit, now skeletonized, will remain on the 20th lot. (Early Completion (Feb.) Of the Yr.'s Sked at 20th-Fox _ Hollywood, Oct. 31. Not only wili 20th-Fox have | ‘completed its entire 1962 program fdynext February—first time in : years 20th product has been canned ‘so far in advance—but the studio's ' slate of 15 “important” films for ; ‘release in 1963 will be worked out: 4 ‘ing to production veepee Peter G. (Lev athes. None of the 1963 releases will ‘cost less than $2,000,000. exec reported, ‘and one or two will soar ias high as $4,000, 000. Two others, Walter Wanger’s “Cleopatra” and “Darryl F. Zanuck's “The Longest + Day,” will. have no limits, both } iwithin the next few weeks, accordj 1500 ACTORS Ml |Columbia Pictures’ Off-Broadway Tie; | To Pay Tuitions for Student Actors ‘+. Cylumbia Pictures and Circle in the Square Theatre, off-Broadway legit group which also has a dramatic sehool, have an agreement to work together in developing production, direction, acting and wrifinz talent. It’s strictly a cooperative venture designed to bring forth new hopefuls. Thee are no contractual Jcommitments on either side. Columbia can pass alonz talent and properties to Circle for possible stage showcasing.. Circle will bring screen prospects to the produrer’s attention. Ted Mann and Jose Quintero, Circle co-producers, and Paul N. Lazarus Jr., Col v.p., are the key figures in the setup. Lizarus said there’s nothing immediately specific in mind in terms of people or plays participating in the operation. He said it figures to work out on a lonzgrange basis. Columbia had a limited dramatic training school on the Coast, but is giving this up. Film company can now send students to the Circle school in New York. which has a present enrollment of 200. In such cases, said Lazarus. Col will pay tuition costs. Point stressed by hararus is that Col now has a ‘has a legit “in.” _ \Levathes as ah Prez When & If Skouras Steps Up The uncertainty. which has surrounded the leadership of 20th-Fox for the last eight months seems at jlast to be on the wane. The latest clarifying move was the board’s ac | out that its own board of directors ; producers. to~ be ‘given free rein. ‘tion last Wednesd ay +25: in elect “believes. if to-be a foregone con-:. clusion that. MCA. will. surrender | the '63..nudget, the aim will be {of “When my staff and I develop ing Beter G. Levathes to the post executive vicepresident in the agency. franchise and maintain: to haye one important picture aicharge of production. and probably’ expand. production activities. ie ‘Under terms of the. ‘agreement . with the Guild, MCA has agreed! that, during the transition period between now. and Sept.: 30, 1962, it will choose whether to remain in } the agency business or in produc| tion and. that it will terminate one activity or the other before. next ¢ Fall's television ‘season, Re Sub Agents. Agency = will jmort?, obs. three specials,” Leva\ thesstated. Hel declined ta identify these specials. ‘Under the new ilongerwill handle “B’ pix.. “As {soon as we finish releasing those twe're committed to,” Levathes said, ! “there will be no more of this ty pe -of product on’ the company’s schedule.” Windup of these re-! | leases should be ‘sometime next year. order, 20th no; As” analyzed bv insiders, the move is described as the vate of confidence in Lavathes which puts ‘him one step closer to the presidency. Prexy Spyres P. Skouras, iwho has had more than his share of production and corporate problems in the last 18 months. has | publicly stated: that he intends ts ‘step up to the chairmanship of the {board when the company gets back on its financial feet. While nobody expects Skouras Minneapolis, ‘Oct. 31: “Theatreowners hereabouts ‘-are again unhappy ‘and declare their . boxoffice hurt, their theatres near-. ‘est to extinction, .because’ of. the | Increasing. number of feature pic-: ‘tures being shown ayer television. out. of Minneapolis. Quality. improvement | in these ‘competing films’ is part of the rub. Also the vaulties are getting much More: advertising . Papers and: through mailings. ‘No less.than 41 feature ‘films a week—and.-in some weeks a: ‘total. of 43—are being shown by the. four | sta-| Twin Cities” commercial tv tions—25 _ of then ‘by. one’ station alone; .Time-Life’s ABC netw ork affiliation wastrans ferred: to local rival owned KMSP-TW which It’s emphasized by the angry. ex: -hibs that WTCN-TV.. -was alloted much of its prime time‘to the ‘flickers and.that there’s also ‘the. NBC Saturday night. prime. time movies, carried here by. its. affiliate, KSTPTV. In..an “eight-page circular mailed “to the public WICN-TV. advertises “Movies Galore—All on’ WTCN”. _and lists the feature films. ‘to = be and: the. ‘presented each night times of their showing-for the. entire month:. These films for ‘October -include“The High «and the Mighty,” “Sergeant York.” “Stormy Weather,”. “Flying Down to. Rio,” (Continued on page| 2u : in the news independent. non-network | WTCN-TV since its4. 20th-Fox | ‘shows |: nine to 11 feature films weekly, |" -: the: largest number next to WTCN: TY. . prise to. Wall’ Streeters, who noted the limited -U_action™oyer a. ‘period. ‘of many. months. U: has a total is‘sue’ of 880,000 shares, but “770,000 Decca Records. and not subject to marketing activity. Except for odd lots there |: of. these: are: held by are only 225 Ustockholders ; -other than: Decea. . Only 300 ‘shares of the U common were exchanged on. the big board last’ week: Highly-placed U vets don't. dJike’ to see the company lose its: identity but it’s: generally felt there's: noth ing they, can do about it. UNITED ARTISTS MIFFED, SELLS AWAY FROM NTET ‘Los Angeles, Oct: ‘81. United Artists. ‘has. sold four of. its upcoming’. releases, including | | Frank, Capra’s “Poeketful of Mir-" acles,” away. from its longtime cus-. tomer, National. ‘Theatres :&. Tele. ‘vision Ine., due to reported . annoy= ance over: chain setting Walt. Dis| ney’s “Babes in: Toyland” in-its key. | multiple runs for the.-Christmas‘New. Year's holiday. UA. had -pro|. jected the Capra‘film, row. booked into other multiples, for ‘this. im porant. week. 1-2-3" goes: into the Hollywood’ Paramount .Dec. Without Pity’ opens following day | atthe. Beverly, ‘houses; 21 and both Fred Stein “X-15” also goes into mul { for Elia Kazan’s “Splendor in the Grass." “Town | | “To bulwark his production plans, | ready for théatrical production, ac-! Levathes will make changes in the cording. to pact, although no. actual ; 7 studio’s. producer lineup. adding | pr oduction may take place. Agree-!and subtracting to “strengthen my : ‘ment ‘stipulates. that upon ter-:staff.” No specific number, on; mination -of the agency. business. i either’ side. figure in his blueprint. ; all agency contracts-in effect with! . ‘ Levathes said he is seeking two ; “(Continued on page 24) Cc: mtinued on page 17: la elite ancien t SAME AD, 1954 AND 1961 Ava Gardner or Natalie Wood, It Ain’t t TET TET LTTE CELT COL CE CEL LLEL CL EUTELELLALELaiae () Take. a look at the “key” art being: used by Warners in its ads It’s a rather frantic embrace: ‘ati intimate closeup, as seen through ‘a fuzzy filter, of a darkhaired doll ‘Natalie Wood?) ecstatically nuzzling the ear of a guy whose back | ,tion the board has thus catapulted ‘is to the camera. Levathes into the front line of When this ad appeared in the ‘trade. ‘Watners reminded exhibs to /29th’s executive ranks previously ‘send -for their pressbooks for “what many in the industry have already : limited to Skouras, Wikiam C. called ‘the most ingenious and aggressive selling campaign in vears.”” | Michel, the company’s veteran (21 Now-get hold of-an old pressbook for United Artists’ 1954 re‘exec veep, and Jsseph Maskowitz, lease, “The Barefoot Contessa.” The 24-sheet contains a rather frantic ;veep and eastern studio chief. embrace, ‘an ‘intimate closeup, etc: .of.a doll (Ava Gardner?) ecstatically Last week's election of Levathes huzzling the ear of a guy whose:back is to the camera. Oddly enoush, ‘ ito exec vecp status gives him ext:a not only is it the same pose'as that used in the ingenious and aggres;authority in terms of production sive “Splendor” ad, but the girls are wearing lookalike bracelets and ;decisions (though finat production both have just. the same suggestion of a slight malocclusion of: the i decisions always have been—and upper jaw. 'Opined one irreverent. Variety staffer: “Maybe each girl; Will remain—with the executive ‘got her choppers fixed by. the same dentist’). committee’ Most importantly, how Nothing: so ‘complex or unlikely. It's the same still in both ads. jever, it gives him prestige and a However, Ava’ Gardner. is. not being . used to. promote Natalie Wood. ikey position from which he can The girl in.the still, whose. passion: has been thus proxiéd, is unknown | move to the top spot in the com‘if not unremembered. pany. Investigation reveals that -the “Barefoot” still was bought from an| Thus, while there still may be outsidé. source {Monroe Greenthal prepared the ad!. Warners apparently |somie, intramural tug-o-wars_ ia ‘acquired rights to it in the same way. laotn’ s future, the key one appears The Warner boys did make one slight change, however, perhaps in;to have already taken place. recognition of the audience's new. maturity. In the original “Barefoot” | In his mew post, Levathes read, the lovers:seem to be standing up. Warners turned the negative jtains his title as prexy of 25th-Fox be permitted to. [to be able to wipe out production fesses this year, 20th now has one isubstantial hit going for it ‘“The ‘ Hustler’), some promising pix for {the near future and a “stream'lined” production list of big productions scheduled. Also, operating costs are being “systematically but realistically” reduced. Both Skouras and the socalled Wall Street group ‘John L. Loeb, % | repping Carl M. Loeh, Rhoades & iCo., and Milton S. Gould, repping Treves & Co.' on the 20th board are known to favor Levathes a3 Skouras’ successor. The alignment of Skouras with the new “boarders” Loeb and Gould is deemed most significant. At their instiga ¥. _K. * * * * Uples away fromNT&T,. starting. 90 degrees, sn row it appears that the guy has just lifted up the doll, j Televi ision, a post he has held since Dec.: perhaps out of a bathtub filfed. with ‘the. old. bubbly. 1959.