Variety (Jul 1946)

18 INTERNATIONAL •VARIETY'S' LONDON OVHOB ' • St. Mattln's Flacc, Trafalgar Baaar* U. SrFrance Film Pact Snafued By French Prods.; Govt. Delays Decree Making Blum Agreement Operative Paris, July 30, The Franco-American picture pact Inked for France by special envoy l*on Blum at the same time as the French loan, and due to become op- erative by July 1, still is snafued by local interests. Up to date, the French administration has issued no decree implementing the agreement, and American distributors feel they are left in the dark. The film depart- ment of the government is under tremendous pressure from the finan- cial and labor interests which first started howling that th>y would be subjected to crushing American op- position but since have soft-pedaled their opening press campaign. U. S, distribs are powerless, and so is Harold L. Smith, Motion Pic- ture Assn. of America chief. The matter is in the hands of the U. S. Slate Dept., but economic counselor Livingstone Merchant, and his as- sistant Turner Cameron, find them- selves stymied. The situation is un- likely to improve unless the State Dept. reminds the French govern- ment in no uncertain terms that the film pact was a definite part of the loan agreement. Apart from French territory proper, U. S. distribs use French dubbed pictures in countries like Belgium and Switzerland. But un- til a definite ruling is issued here they find their business in these lands complicated by the necessity of dubbing in France. Result is that American interests hi Belgium and Switzerland, where business is good, arc affected by the current French setup. The difficulties raised by interests opposing the working o£ the pact begin with this delay in the issue of the decree. They , claim that the agreement first must be okayed by the Assembly's finance committee. And when a decree finally a does come out, they plan insisting on en- forcement of the former law pro- viding that no picture can be im- ported ' that has been released abroad more than two years be- fore. This would eliminate all prod- uct released in America before 1944. There is also talk of prohibiting ex- hibs from booking more than five pictures per quarter from the same distrib. This would not hurt many French distribs who usually handle few pictures but would be a nuisance for U. S. distribs. Dubbing in France is a must. Al- though France recently sent Czecho- slovakia 1,000,000 metres of raw stock the film shortage here is claimed as an excuse for refusing allotments to American distribs for. their dubbing. Local interests, too, are creating sales resistance buildup from exhibs. Theatre .owners recently have been circularized to that effect. They re- ceived a long warning which- claims that the advent of American pic- tures will result in unemployment, strikes, riots, drop in grosses and bankruptcy for theatre owners ex- cept for the trust-owned chains. New Viennese Picture Co. Into Production Vienna, July 10. . Werner Huebler-Kahle, formerly prominent in Austrian; newsreels, has formed his own film company and started work on a picture, the scenario of which Kurt Nachmann and he wrote. Hans Moser, popular Viennese comedian, has the lead role. '-.- Company rented the Rosenhuegel studios and have taken first shots already. Proposed pic-title: "World Turns Backward." U. S. Lush French Pix Market: Clair Paris, July 30. Expressing belief that there are 200 film theatres in the U.S. that could be opened to show nothing but French films, film director Rene Clair, just back from the U.S. where he has been handling American pro- ductions, is optimistic, about the fu- ture of French pictures in America. He explained that there are 1,500,000 people in the U.S. who speak French and that it Was up to France to take the initiative in organizing a worlR cinema conference in the interests of art and culture. . Clair described this as being more important than monetary aspects. He made no reference to the qual- ity of the current crop of French screen productions or whether they would draw even, in arty and strictly French-product houses. 'Keep-Em-Apaif House Dublin, July 25. Picture theatre in Clones, County Monaghan, which keeps men and women apart, will have a rival 60on, local authorities having granted a license for a new cinema to open in September. Clones is in a rural area, remote from other entertainment centers, Hence if the local patrons wanted to see picture they had to part with their girl friend or wife right after passing the boxoffice. Efforts to boy- colt the place failed because there was no place else to go. New house is expected to grab most of town's biz "in - the future. Bigger Arg. Tax BiteHits U.S. Pix Harmon, Mayer to Europe on Dutch Pix Import Jam; Kahn Leaves MPEA Five French Imports Of the seven foreign films which Lopert Films, Inc., has acquired, I. E. Lopert, head of the company, said that five are French-made. All are set for distribution in the U.S. in the 1946-47 season. The French, productions are "Ex- tenuating Circumstances," "Hill of Teruel" (known in France as "Es- poir"), "Cage of the Nightingales," "Return at Dawn," "A Friend. Will Come Tonight" and "Vautrin." Lo- pert plans going abroad in Septem- ber to obtain additional foreign product. "Circumstances" is set to open at the 55th Street Playhouse, N. Y. in September while "Hill of Teruel" will open at the Ambassador, N.Y., this fall. The other French pictures now acquired are also scheduled to open in N.Y. in fall. Aussie Symph Orch Wages Upped by Arbitration Bd. Melbourne, July 11." Victorian Arbitration C o u r t awarded members of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Com- mission in studio and concert work, new wage of $50 for 30-hour week. Sum is for exclusive services, and an Increase of several dollars on award rates for Aussie musicians. Fear is expressed here that musi- cians in various spheres of enter- tainment will now seek the same rate as that given members of the A.B.C. orch. Dublin Gate OK for Egypt Dublin, July 25. King Fuad of Egypt has put the okay on his government's invitation to the Dublin Gate theatre, headed by Hilton Edwards and Michael MacLiammoir, to play, in Cairo and ^Alexandria next spring. Visits by Edwards-MacLiammoir before 1939 were sponsored by the British Council; this time they are on their own. Edwards says no plays or casts Maybe Roy and Walt Had Better Get Together Now London, July 30. Roy Disney, here for first lime since 1938, revealed some of brother Walt Disney's future activities as far ahead as 1950. Expects to have the old classic "Alice in Wonderland" ready by 1948, while "Peter Pan" will not see light before 1949. Another classic, "Jack and the Beanstalk," in which Edgar Bergen will figure as narrator, is expected around 1950. "Beanstalk" will be combined with * Sinclair Lewis's "Bungo," which was serialized in the Cosmopolitan magazine. Revealed that because of high cost of production, Disney shorts will gradually be cut down, and may eventually be dropped entirely. Walt Disney expects to be over here this year to visit Ireland where he will line up material for. special Irish feature which he .has had in mind for several years. Roy Disney leaves for France soon and also will visit Italy and Stock- holm. . Plans to return 'to America on Aug. 18. With six years'of successful litiga- tion behind them, American film companies in Argentina are now back where they started. U. S. ma- jors after a protracted court battle won a ruling from the Argentine Supreme Court which' permitted • deduction, of 90% from the gross income of American Alms before fix- ing the balance as net on which a 20% national tax is paid. Recent decree of the Peron government up- set the court ruling and set -50% of the remittables as the net subject to taxation. Film companies last week at a foreign dept. meet decided to start new suits in the Argentine courts in' an attempt to have the decree ruled unconstitutional. Additionally, the companies will call on the State Dept. to intercede with the Argen- tine government and argue for a lift- ing of the decree." Initially, the Argentines fixed a 5% tax on half of the remittances to Yank distribs alter tagging them "royalties." Tax was later stepped up to 10 and then 20%, while the distribs fought back claiming that the term "royalties" was ■ a . mis- nomer and that an insufficient amount had been deducted before setting the net. Argentine Supreme Court ruled that establishment of costs and deductions was not clear and that, in such circumstances, a net' figure of 10% was fair and proper. BLUM O.O.'S EUROPE'S PIX SETUP FOR LOEW'S David Blum, secretary and a3- publicity director of Loew's Inter- national, is making a survey of Eu- ropean audience tastes particularly in regard to bally for company prod- uct. He arrived in Stockholm the middle of last week and will be gone a month on his tour of European countries. While ostensibly making the trip to develop and co-ordinate advertising and publicity angles, un- derstood that he will make a first- hand report to Arthur Loew about audience preferences in Europe on ! his return. In some respects,. Blum's survey is reported to be like that just com- pleted by Luigi Luraschi, head of Paramount's studio foreign depart- ment. Luraschi spent more than three months on a production survey in Europe for Henry Ginsberg, stu- dio head for Par, arriving back in the U. S. over the weekend. Esther Somers Back To London for Teeth' Role London, July 30. Esther. Somers, who played wife of Doc Gibbs in London production of Jed Harris' "Our Town," is here to play one of star, roles in "Skin of Our Teeth" when show is re- vived by H. M. Tehnent, Ltd., next month for road tour. It's due at the Piccadilly theatre in September. Booking of Miss Somers was at direct request of Laurence Olivier who, while in N. Y., sent her a wire to take up part. When she returned from London, her husband had the wire for her when she was check- ing in with the Customs, with the result that she returned to London on same boat. Pars Nathan Due For N.Y. Huddles John B. Nathan, who was namod European chief for Paramount last week, is due in N. Y. tomorrow (Thurs.) or Friday from Buenos Aires for homeoffice confabs prior to leaving for Paris. Nathan, Avho was elevated from his Argentine-Uru- guay post to the 'Europe-North Africa-Far East position, will take over his new duties in Paris in Sep- tember. Robert Schless, Par's European boss since he left Warners about two years ago, stays in charge until Nathan arrives. It now seems likely that Schless won't quit his European post from which he resigned about a month ago, until the last of Sep- tember. Reported that he will come to Ihe U. S. then, but it seems doubt- ful if he will join another major company, immediately. Par has not picked a successor to Nathan thus far, and it's doubtful if one will be chosen until A. L; Pratchett, Latin - American super- visor, huddles with George Weltner, company's foreign chief, on the sub- ject. Nathan, who also supervised Chile besides being managing direc- tor for the other two Latin-Ameri- can countries, plans returning to Buenos Aires after a couple of weeks huddling with Schless in order to wind up his affairs there. Then he returns with his family to Paris. Stalemate on American film dise- tribution In the Netherlands brought a reshuffling-by Eric Johnston and the Motion. Picture Export Assn. last week; with Francis S. Harmon)- veepee of MPEA, and Gerald Mayer, associate manager of the Motion Picture Assn. international department,. planing -for Europe over the weekend with Amsterdam as their destination. Their hopoff followed the resignation of Henry W. Kahn as MPEA manager for the Netherlands, Thursday (25). MPEA announced that Kahn re- signed because he wanted .to stay- in the U. S. He will vacation for 30 days, and then plans hooking up with a major company. Resignation came after a month of huddling at MPEA on returning from Amster- dam where he'd gone • in effort to get new American product dis- tributed there via that organiza- tion. The Dutch film syndicate, or monopoly remained obdurate, ap- parently preferring to deal with in- dividual companies and at their percentage figures. This attitude on the part of the Holland .film monopoly prompted American majors to refuse distribiK tioh except through the Export- Assn. It was figured that only a united front on the part of the U. S. film industry via the MPEA could combat the attitude., of the. Dutch film monopoly. Unreasonable terms of the Netherlands' monopoly stale- mated negotiations. Johnston Optimistic - Harmon and Mayer will hold dis- cussions on showing American fare in Holland,, with Johnston remain- ing optimistic over the eventual out- come of negotiations. He explained that it was his desire to see U.S. pictures contribute to understand- ing and goodwill among all nations of the world. He cited that the peo- ple in Holland seemed to enjoy and appreciate American films be- fore the war, and he was convinced that the vast majority of the Dutch would like to have pictures widely available now. "Certainly we wish to release them in Holland whenever an ap; propriate and equitable - basis for full-scale resumption of our opera- tions can be achieved," Johnston said. 43 Mex Films This Year Mexico City, July 23. Mexican film producers finished 43 pictures for release by the; end of July, largest for any seven-month period in the industry. During the same period of 1945, only 29 pix had been released. Of. the 43 this year only six are •re fixed yet, but that the company regarded as having been big at the •pens in Cairo, March J?. boxoffice. Current London Shows London, July 30. "Better Late," Garrlck. "Ballet Theatre," Covent Garden. "Crime * Punishment," New "Fltty-Flfty," Strand. "First Gentleman,'' Savoy. "Follow the Girls,'' Majesty's. "Frieda," Westminster, "Gang Show," Stoll. "Grand National Night," Apollo. "Guinea Pig," Criterion. "Here Come the Boys," Saville. "High Time," Palladium. "Honeymoon," York's. "Kingmaker," St James. "Lady Edinburgh," Playhouse.' "Marriage a la Mode," St. James: "Night and Music," Coliseum. "No Room as Inn," Winter Garden. "Perchance to Dream," Hipp, "Pickup Girl," Wales. "Poltergeist," Vaudeville. "Portrait In Black," Piccadilly. "Red Roses for Me," Wyndhami. "Shop Sly Corner," St. Martins. "Song of Norway," Palace. "Sweetest and Lowest," Ambass. "Under the Counter," Phoenix. "While Sun Shines." Globe. "Windermere's Fan," Haymarket. "Winslow Boy," Lyric. "Worm's View," Whitehall. Will Mahoney Into Pix After Vaude Tour Ends Sydney, July 17. Will Mahoney, currently on a special vaude-revue tour of. Dave Martin's Tivoli circuit after long runs here and in Melbourne, may do one or two films when his stage commitments arc filled. Comic made the picture "Ants in Your Pants," several years, ago but it was no great hit. Mahoney, now partnered with Bob Geraghty in Brisbane at the Cremorne with vaude-revue, ret ceritly closed down Royal at Bris- bane, with its stock policy. Indus- trial etn- -ages in Queensland are partly blamed for bad biz. Mahoney may come to Sydney later to do some shows for Martini before swinging into picture production. $50,000 Manila Blaze ..''-'. Manila, July 12. Damage estimated at $50,000 was caused by a Are believed to have started from spontaneous combus- tion of films in a vault at Metro's film exchange. Picture patrons scurried out of Ideal theatre, located near the ex- change when the alarm was sounded. REINER O.O.'S CUBA . Manny Reiner, Latin - American manager for Selznick-International and Vanguard Films, is in Havana for a study of the Cuban market. He went to CViba from Mexico City where he had been for about two months. Reiner set prelim details, for show ing of "Duel in Sun" while in the Mexican capital. He will visit Vene auela and Rio de Janeiro before re turning'to the U. S. Export Assn. New N.Y. Offices Key Expansion Of European Distrib Motion Picture Export Assn. moved into permanent headquar- ters on the fourth floor of the 546 Fifth Ave., N. Y. building Monday (29) with Irving Maas, general manager and veepee, in charge. MPEA has the entire floor, only about a block from Motion Picture Assn. of America offices where the Export Assn.-formerly quartered. With the Export Assn. expanding every week, as new foreign distri- bution headaches develop, it's been assumed that the MPAA interna- tional dept. wouldn't continue as vital as in the past or that it would have'the same functions. However, it's indicated that the Export Assn. has its own distribution job for the eight major companies in certain foreign lands where individual company distrib deals aren't feas- ible. MPAA International or foreign department has the entire foreign market, outside of these few coun- tries, to worry .about not only on distribution matters but on foreign exchange, attempted quotas, restric- tions and arbitrary tax and import laws. The Export Assn. has its own. set of officers and field men, mostly borrowed from different mBjpr com- panies, and. Its own separate prob- lems to worry over. Actually the MPEA now is oper- ating only In Japan and Germany, but with hopes of getting Into Hol- land. Officials of the Export Assn. now headquartering in N. Y. include Robert Vinlng, asst. to Eric John- ston; William Laflan, head of the accounting dept.;' Irving Eckstein; asst. sales control manager; Herbert Erlanger, legal dept., and Alfred F. Corwin, ad-publie'ity mana- ger. It's the first time all major distributors have gotten together on selling in specific foreign markets. Understood that results of MPEA dealings in Europe will be a big factor in the success of the organi- zation's operation.