Variety (Apr 1946)

24 PICTIJRGS WMlnesday, April 3, 15M6 Interstate in $1,040,000 Deal For Houston Site; Other Exchange Briefs a lins Houston^ i the Navy, back in Stanley-Warner A -lO-vcar lensc hns been obtained I publicity office. . ^ yp"*^ - ".J A....-"" On"-1 Vic Chatftcld. former manager of tl>6 Wynne, transferred to Key- stone by Warners. Succeeded at Wynne by Maurice Goldberg. «in the site of the old Aragon Ball-. loom, destroyed by Ib'e recnntly, by ihc Interstate Theatreis Circuit for consideration of $1,040,000. Work been started on a llvc-.svory bulldinc. Not disclosed whether utriicturc was to incluclc a new theatre. Inter.sUtc will have of (Ice f pacv in the building. Kenneth Blacklcdfic named to succeed C. F. Motley as head of .southwestern division of Grifftth Theatres. Motley becomes head or theatre operations. _ . . Crystal and Uptown theatres, flwncd and operated at Hubbard by Chester W. Niece, bought by Johnnie Fadal. Niece had operated for the ]ast 35 years. Fadal plans to open the Uptown, shuttered for several years. Fix theatre, at CcnterviUe, pur- chased by W. J. Vanwyk from J. O. Harris. FC's Goldwyn«rs Nicky Goldhammcr, general, ."ailcs manager of Film Classics, in New. York from the Coast to huddle with h.o. execs on summer policy for next block of Goldwyn releases. Fix include "Strike Me Pink." "Splendor," "Dodsworth." "Wedding Night'* and "Goldwyn Follies." Johi) Wcnisch, until recently branch manager for ;PRC- in New York, has joined Film Classics, in N. Y. in a general sales capacity'. Prior to hooking lip With PRC last summer Wenisch had been with Co- lumbia for 17 years in charge Of New Jersey selling. Ed Nelsi»n Back t» Inter-Mln. Denver. Mr. and Mrs. Bert Johnson, Stale, Rapid City, S. D., owners, m Cali- fornia on vacation; . .. Ed Nelson, out of Army, made city manager Fox Intor-mouiitain, Mont- rose, Colo., succeeding Jack Henry, who awaits a.ssignmcnt. .. . Arcnic Goldstein, recently in Army, reopening the 215-seat Palm, which h.is been closed for years. Using foreign Alms, he will open with a Jewish Aim, "Great Advisor. Metro has booked more than 2B theptres in Wyoming for the state- wide piecm of "Bad Bascomb, which was partly made in that state. Bill Bishop, division exploitcer, is here to huddle with Bill Prass goim? over publicity plans after which Pras.s will make a state-wide tour of Wyoming for the 111m; Fox Interrnoiintiain The.ntrcs is re- opening Capitol, Pocatelkj, Idaho, re- modeled, now the Encore, and the Del Rio, Las Cruets. N. M. John Liudhart. Mayan manager, Is quitting to go into the concrete busi- ness. Bob Wilson, Fox Ihtermounthin tlieati-c manager. La Junta, Colo., advertised that everyone coming to see "San Antonio" on horseback would be admitted free, and the city had to call out all cops to handle trafflc. Theatre Wsrieop WithUAonHenryVFiiin Theatre Guild Is being declared In by United Artists as a partner in all receipts on "HcnKy V" in Guild sub- scription cities. UA, in return, gains acccsji to the ^rijanizatipn's list of subscribers and plans to circularize them with a mailing piece under the Guild's imprint They will be of- feried a discount similar to that which the outflt allows its thcrriber- ship on legitere, . Tieup on the British-made- picture is believed to be one of the most un- iLsual seen in the industry. Laurence Oliwlelcstarrcr is being roadshown on a li.nsis as close to handling of a live show as UA can make it. Initial opening is in Boston today (Wednes- diiy) at the 900-scat Esquire. Com- paratively heavy advance sale has been piled .up by offering sehobls, in.stitiitions and clubs 25% discount on block.s of 25 .se.nts or more. Eve- ning scale is $2.40 and $1.80. Deal with the Theatre Guild gives brgani/.atibii a small fjerccntage of the total gross taken in by theatres playing "Henry" in all 20 cities in which the Guild has subscription lists. Tablhlmer Manth' Richmond. Va. . April designated by Sam Bcnd- hciin. Jr.. gen. mgr. Neighborhood Theatres and his managers as "Mor- ton G. Tahlhimer Month" in appre- ciation ^for all the efforts that thp president of the company has used in building up Neighborhood Thea- tres into one of the leadfng inde- pendent circuits ill the coiinti-y. . In addition, Syd Blumenstock. tor 20;h-Fox. said his '^mpany will give three prizes to managers putting on the best campaigns on any pictures from his company which arc siiown during (he month. Prizes are one $200. one SlOO and one S50 bond. Fred Beiersdovf, Washin.^ton branch manager for Warner Bros,, stated his comiSany will give a bond for the best campaign oh any of his pic- tures sliown during the drive. Voighborhood Theatres located in Richmond. Pclersbur?. Arlington Falls Church. FarmyiUc. Bristol, i Pulaski and South Boston, all in ' Virginia. | McCarthy Leaves UA St. Louis. Bernard McCarthy, branch man agcr here for United Aitists, rc- .signed for a West Coast job. His successor has not been, chosen. John Newcomer moved by the H. J. Griffith. Circuit from ChillicOtho, Mo.r where he inariagcd the Grand and Riti. to Marceline, Mo., to man- age the Uptown. John Meinnrdi has succeeded Roy Richard's Charges —1— Continued from pace 9 on to say that "there is insidious propaganda that TAC is formed by monopolists" and then implied that the distributors themselves were in- stigators. Questioned later, Richards told y.^RiETY the only reason that there exists no national theatre or- ganiz.ntion comparable to the Mo: lion Picture. Assn.. of America, is that consistent opposition!--by the producers and distributors stymied formation of .in effective exhib group. These toppers had always stressed tlie sales angle to detriment of any organization of theatres, he said. I Other top TAC officials pri vatcly claim that, contrary to- gen- eral belief, the distributors had Some minor changes in the contract form that has been drawn up, relat- ing-'mostly to .security clau.scs which will be strengthened, .will be made by. the Screen Publicists Guild of New York before negotiating sessions are Instituted with the film companies, At a menibership meeting of Iht SPG last week proposals, other than those on which changes wiU be made, were agreed upon. These include a 30% general increase and a raising of the minimum of $100 for publicists, advertising personnel and. artists to $130. Negotiating cominittee's demand foir a three weeks* vacation with pay iiistead of two was aUso okayed, as was severanec. pay of two weeks for each year of. service up:to a maximum of :$S,000 for anyone with a com- pany 20 years. Present SPG contract cxpircs.May 4. Renewal for a iwo- year period will be sought. Anita Colby, one of the four beauties touring the country drumbealing David O. Selznick's "Duel In the Sun," had the misfortune to. hit Pittsburgh last week at the same time that 20th*s "Walk In the Sun" w.ts playing the j. P. Harris theatre there. At least one pat>er made a very natural mis- takei It carried Miss Colby's photogi-aph and announced she was in town in the interests of the currcnt"Walk" instcjid of the coming "Duel.'* Glamnier gal was careful to sec later, h'dwevei:. that it was corrected and that the other sheets were mighty cerUiin what film she was pumping for. Shooting of "Duel" js deflnitcly ended but Sclznick faces another problcni in handing ottt director credits. Directing the film at various times were King Vidor.-who..started if; William DietcrlCi who flnishcd it, and Reeves E^qn and the late Otto Brower, who worked in between. Columbia's hr.iyic.si production problem in "Gallant Journey,'' a laic of adolescent aviation, is to And a .pilot who will take a chance on the Drjit glider ever flown. Studio technicians built a i'cplica of the original glider, which was flown 603 feet, by John J. Montgomery in 1M3. First pilot who tried it wound up w'ith a broken ankle, . Bitig Crosby llguring on comparative unknowns for the romantic leads in his forthcoming production,"Abie's Irish Rose." -Crooner, backed by Ed\vard Sutherland'and Anne Nichols, declared the picture may unveil a couple of promising thesps; Buddy Rogers and Nancy Carroll played llie same rules'when ■'Abie" was Aimed by Paramount in 1928. . "Battle for Survival," a 20-minute documentary Aim prgiduced by RKO Pathe for the $100,000,000 United Jewish AppcaU is bciiig rclea.scd today (Wednesday) for general distribution. ' Portraying scenes of wandering and persecution of the Jewish people,' the fllm was written by Ardis Smith with narration by Or.soh Welles; Cato as Fox Midwest city manager I placed obstacles in the path of TAC's I - ill Jacksonville. III. Cato goes to Kansas C.ity. Harland P. Croy. Navy vet. suc- ceeded Don Wilson as city manaKcr in Ottowa, III., for Alliance Theatre Corp. . The Orpheum and Star, Hannibal. \ Mo., sold by Pi'ice Amu.scmcnt C0...1 loppers also opposed the move. With to Frisina Amusement Co.. Spring- | an air of "now it can be told," Rich- David NIvcn, his (Irst postwar film, "Perfect Marriage," in the caii. caino on to Portland, Me.,', this week, to meet the freighter bringing his wife and two children to the U. S. Ship was delayed several days because of storms, so British acto.r threw a reception for pix and theatre critics in Boston in ihc meantime, achieving biggest newspaper play any actor has got there in years. ' ' formation.) Richards' speech said Spyros Skouras. then head of Fox Theaires. was instructed by the late Sidney R. Kent to shun TAC when the Gov- ernment asked its formation. Other Acid, IJl. Aspcll's Seattle Post I Thoni.".s AspcU. former Metro as- papers ready for f-istant branch maiiagor in San Francisco, named c.vchange manager in Sealtle, succeeding Maurice SafTle Tt-.<iianed. ' A.spsU took over his new duties under the direction of George A Hickcy. M-G west coast .<;,iles man- Nix 'Outlaw' Ads — Continued from pac 9 filing. Il» is be- lieved he will in.ilitule an action charging conspiracy to harm hi.", client's business by refusal to per- mit lisc of the ;ul material. Among items presented were a 24-.shcct. a three-sheet, a couple one- purpose. ^.;^er.^ who went to Seattle for tiic ! sheets, eight lobby displays, tradc- ■r^„r^^..^ paper ads. daily paper ads and stills. MPAA execs were .nUo .squawking unofAcially at recent Hughes' trade- paper ads on "The Outlaw." which contained actual Aguies on .Tiosse.'--. It has Km^ been unwritten law among MP.4.'\ members (of/wliich Hughes is one) not to use gross fig- ures in advertising, merely to use percentages it it is desired to indi- cate contrasts in business between pictures. As one MPAA exec put it: | "Nobody advertises his figures un- less they're especially high, and wc I have enough tax problems withoiit ! blowing them up to 64-point type." ; O'Neill Joins Loew's .Ernest Emerling. national adver- tising .-md publicity director for Loew.<; Theatres, has appointed Rob- ert Seton O'Neill to handle N Y O^Niill^.M?'''?'''' P"^. ^''•■'''e contacts'. O ^Clll will also be in charge of ad- vcrtisins for Loew's StateSheahe. S;Jl'ft PfJP"ies to Lncw's from the Benertcial ManagemGnt Corp., "heic Jic was chief copy wi ifei- I.n"^°hn„^"^'"'" ai'Poi'itcd editor of Lo!, hou.-se magazine of r.oew's home over*" fmi taTes ovei fiom Mike Simon.s. who has Thi a^yole his entire iiltention to The Dustributor. o.'ficial M-G-M ^X??,0"-ean jj'id sales promotion publication. Ernest Emerling and DHn S. Terrell, of Loow's advertis- ZWi^ Pu'^'i^.l)' dopaitme, .ict as supervisory editors. Milgrani Succeeds .Sniiwariz r,» J „ . ' Philaclclphia. Raymond Schwartz has resigned s.« ircnsuier of . the Amiialed Thei ti c tV'l y^" '■'^P'^wd bv Sarfi- iicl Milgram. In leaving the po.sf Schwartz withdrew his two theatres' dici^l" " l'>c '"die Joseph Gins, former Columbia branch manager in Detro't now TCnI!f'"'«f Phil'; ?oi: PRC. The Belmont reopened hist week extensive refurbishing. u Seeal is manager. •-m^t""',' Sweigcrt; Paramount district inana.ier, named chairman for the annual dinner of Motion Pictmc As- \ ards said Skouras insisted on join- ' ing WAC, contrary to instruction. To substantiate his claim, Richards read the convention a telegram .sent in March by Skouras to Robert Wil- by, head of Wilby-Kincey circuit, Atlanta, appealing for support of the current Red Cross drive. Tele- Kiam recited Kent's opposition in past and went '.on lo say Skouras had willy-nilly joined WAC because he "felt the good of the country was more important." Richards went out of his way to praise the Skouras brothers, claim ing Spyros would 'ter.r 'down the Mlnv industry rather than permit aiiylliing dctiimcnliil to his coun- try.' I Talk, incidentally, was, fig- ured :\s an extension of the olive branch to Charles Skoura.s. Under- stood that nithnrds and Skouras fought bitterly at the interim cpm- mittce meeting prior lo convention when Skouras mi;in',aiiicd that dis- tiibution of sub-commillcc chairmen was geographically unfair.] Financing Eased Continued from pace 13 eociates scheduled for May 13 Master Masons in the film indus- Club^ """^ ' Theatrical Square Harold Brason. recently dis- charged from the Army, named manager of Fox. WUl a,ssist Hal Se'dienberg, executive director of house. Brason was assistant to Seidenberg when the latter wa.s Bianager of the Earle for Warners. Mpls. Variety Club Drive For 325G Going Over Top Minneapolis, .^Vpril 2. Northwest Variety. Club drive to raise $323,000 for a heart hospital on the University of Minnesota, campus is already i;.'isin-cd of goint' over t!ie top by ."May 1 when . the. GampKign ends, Chief Barker Alt .'Viiderson reported lo members at a special dinner meeting last night ilj. Tlie club donated $15,000 of its owii funds to' the drive. .Anderson told members -.hat 81 hospital beds have been sponsored, 29 of thcin by club mcmber.s; A minimum contribution of $1,000 is necessary • for such sponsorship. Twenty-nine ' members contributed $35,000, Anderson reported. In addi- tion, he said, 107 other members have made ' "substantial contribur tioiis," while 335 territory theatres participating in the drive's collection turned in $66,879. Largest single contribution \vas that of Mrs. Charles M. Drew, widow pit a prominent local attorney. Her $25,000 donation will endow a laboratory. Total of $233,231 Jimmy Dormdn, discharged from been raised so fai'. Studio Contracts Hollywood, April 2. Ellen Drew, aclrc.s.s Columbia; Farley Granger, actor, Goldwyn. George Zuckorman, writer, Par. R. no.s.«cn, wrilcr-dir:. Hal Wallis. Wallace Fox, rcncwetl, Uiiiver.sal. Pari Malvern, renewed, Universal. Dan Duryca, actor, Universal. Guy Williams, aclor, Metro; S. Halpcrin. camera >hief, 20th-Pox. Bert Hicks, rciiewed, 20th-Fox. Loi'.i.sc Albritton, ren'ev.'cd. U. K.iy Chrislophcr, actress. RKO. Rod Cameron, renewed, U. Jacqueline de W.it, renewed, U. Robert Manning, .tctor, RKO, Charles Pawley, actor, RKO. Frank P. Rosenberg, renewed, Col. Martha Hyer, actress, RKO. Nan Leslie, actress, RKO. Richard Webb, i-enewed, Par, Drew Miller, actor, RKO. Geo. Campeau, renewed, Warners.' Robert Anderson, actor, RKO. Jac Lucas Fisher, actor. Par. Wanda Hendris, actre&s, I^r. Richard Conte, renewed, 20th-Fos. Julian' Johnson, renewed, 20th. Jimmy Lydon, actor, Warners. Dick^. Simmons, actor, Metro. financial field for year.s. Should any single picture (ail to pay back on its iiwestment, the theory is that the overall chance of loss to the investoi: is small, since he Will also have holdings in a iiuml>er of other films which will more than compensate. Ideal in the pa.sl has always .siie- cializcd in providing end inAney— meaning its payoff comes after the bank, which has a preferred claini. and director, stars or others in on a participating basi.s. Operating on an enlarged .swipe. Ideal will also be offering indie producers entree to banks, so they can .sew up their en- tire financing as easily and pain- lessly as po.ssible. Firm h.xs long had a ticup with Public National Bank & Trust Co., N. Y. Ilci'sh Bros. Reorganization, to l;ike place at a board meeting this week, will .SCC' David Hcrsh step out as prexy and his brother. Martin, an attorney, take over the post. Both brothers have been active in the firm. David,' however, will limit his activities now, since he iccently formed a pro- ducing partner.'Jhip with Sam Cos- low and George Frank. He's al.so aiming lo form jicycral similar pro- ducing setups. Martin Hersh's plans for Ideal en- vi.sion making iip packages of pror ducys, directors, Avritcrs and the other ingredients for picturemiiking. This is similar lo what some Coast agencies have been doing, but Hcr.<h's interest is not in conimis- sibn.<;. It's in a .safe outlet for his coin. And he feels that by gelling the people together himself he can line up the best possible combos, as well as increase the numberOf units in which Ideal money can be put lo work. To CMCOurago units, he is al.so ready 10 ptil. up "pie-prci)aration" funds—nioncy for a protlucer or ac- tor to acquire a .story or whatever else he needs to start lining up an indie outfit. He's, currently engaged in making such an arrangement with. George Raft, who ha,s .in'Ttiinid a particular story he. wants to ac- quire as the first step to production on his own, Artifttc Partacra Hcrsh is very partial to participa- tion deals in films by actors, direc- tors and writers. In his opinion, that .setup "puts the niaslmum screen for the ^ize of the monetary outlay." He also feels that it gives a stability, to the hivcstment and greater security to the investors. Participation deals often moan that a picture can be made for 20- 25';<i less initial investment, since the heavy payoff to. arti.stic talent is de- ferred until after the'film is made. In other word.s.'A $1,250,000 picture can be turned out with only Sl;000.- 000 of original outlay, which is what Hersh. means by getting ■ inore eii- tcrtainmeht on the screen" lor the coin put up. Milk-Shake Circuit Continued from page 11 amount of entertainment on' the moppet ciPclcs. with"My Pal, Wolf" already behind her and currently .starring in "Child of Divorce.'' Studio thinks .so well Of her ability that story dc|)arlmcnt is making concentrated scareh to find further pj-opertics as star vc- hicle.s. Barbara Whiting'did such oul- standiiig work in 20th"s 'Jiiiiiiir Miss," playing Pc.ggy .\nn Garner's pal. that' now she has one of tot) roles in studio's "Home S.wcet Homi- cide,'' along with Garner gal ,and Connie Marshall. She plays her own. peculiar .style of comedy, and already is lined up for several important features in future. .On .sjiine lot, young Miss . Garner, of course, al- ready is established, particulaily after sbovc-mcntioned "Mi.'is" 'and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." Tiny Mites In younger category, there's Bev- erly Simmons, at Universal: Karol.Yi' Grimes,'4, who appeared .<o advan- tageously with Fred MacMurray in "Pardon My Past"; Patti Brady, H, at Wariiers, Beverly, whom Univcr.sal iiiko<l lo term contract, endeared hci-.^clf ii> "Frontier Gal," enacting 'Vvonne <ie Carlo's daughtcr.sand did .w well by hci'self that every director on lot waiils her. Patti currenlly is play- ing daughter of Errol F-lynn and Eleanor Parker in "Never Say Good- bye." Another Juve to w.itch .will be' Dickie Tyler, boy Ingrid Bergman l-iught to Aght in. "The Bells of St. Mai-y's." Joan •Carroli, who also ,-vp- peared in that picture., isn't particu- larly a newcomer, but'her career is bound to zoom after her performance in this fllra. Ted Donaldsoii is doin^ "Return of Rusty.'* for Columbia, and he, too. dcflnitclj', is a threat in