Variety (Nov 1947)

P5SSiS?ff Wednesday, Novemlier 6, . 1947 Audiwi* Agents UrmjCwc^fflHis In M-G Contest; Others Pte-Peeking? Ganging up ou Metro, New York^ literary agents In; ' week won a ■ numlter of major c-.. j.-wions in con- traits- ' covering ttie purchase of novel* entered in M-G's semi-an- Jdual f250^ contest. Liberalisation «f terass, granted l>y the studio with « mibimum of flying Jvx, covei: television, radio, dramaUzations and sequels, as well as some other more minor rights. Contest, slated to close last Fri- day. <31), has been extended a week -ss a result of the rush of entries the last few days. No change has been made, however, in date for announcement of winners. Pec. 20. A Metro spokesman said that more than '75 entries are expected, which Would mean this first contest on *i jiixmonth, rather than a full yeat, l»asis, is highly successful from the standpoint of number. Necessity of extending the closing date is indicative, however,- -of the laet that Metro has lost much of the advantage of exclusivity it had pte- viously derived by Offering the heavy prize coin. Most agents were delayed in getting their clients' -wor}^ in on time because they were ^ving story editors of other com- ■panies a look at then! beforehand. -Cooperation of the 10%ers with other ^ eds results partially from some resentment of both agents and editors at the semi-annual "M-G roundup'of prospects. First Reject Biehts Metro, nevertheless, under terms of the contest, gets flrst crack at buying any entries it desires. Other (eompafiies feel, however, that ■ Xasrst<i taken the edge oflf some- what by seeing in advance so many Of the novels. This gives . them an , Opportunity to register their inter- [■est In any book with its agent, so lie may be. guided accordingly in dealing with Metro in the event the (Continued on page 20) llis; Sabsidy for Tobacco Iwfaisfarjr, likewise K.O.'d in foity. Interests Ptx Film men were much Interested Iff an Indication that the U. S. gov- ■ ernment would possibly underwrite ■ British tobacco purchases in Ameri- can markets. Tobacco industry is in a plight similar to motion pictures - as result of Britain''s shortage of ■ dollars. England cut off all tobacco ■' imports last week.' ■ 'According' to an As^ciated Press teport froin Jftichmond, Va., Secre- tary of Agriculture 'Anderson has ■■• tinder consideration a plan .calling for the Commodity Credit Corp. to jBtep in and "underwrite the British • jbuyhig'in order to-a}d tobacco grow- ■ erg. Proposal for the niove came from the Agcieulture department's ■ tobacco branch director, Charles •Gage, who isaid there apptrently .' were no serious objections to the plan, :. . The seeking of Government aid to compensate for the loss of the Brit- ish market to films" has been one of the principal points advanced i by, the independent producers ,in con- -iabs with the majors. .Donald Nel- son, prexy of the Society of Inde- pendent Motion Picture Producers, Jia.s reportedly held meetings with ■ the Export-Import Bank and the Reconstruction Finance Corp. in ■1 efforts to work out a plan of aid. The majors have given little con- sideration to the proposals. 45 Days for'Daai^er' HoliywQod, Nov» 4. Increased pace of shooting at Metro is indicated by the cqropletion in 46 days of "B. P.'« Daughter," starring Barbaric Stanwyck Jtnd di- rected by Robert Z. Leonard. While 45 days does not constitute a Hollywood record it is fast step- ping on the Metro track, Giddwyn's Raik PeweOvwIfears' UdtoSokiWe^ Rift between the Samuel Goldwyn office and J. Arthur Rank is keep- ing "Best Years Our Lives" from playing any engagements in Britain beyond ttie current London flrst-run. Goldwyn is refusing to allow exhibi- tion of the fllin on Rank's Odeon circuit under the present edict of the British tycoon that no picture xass play! more than one week no matter how big a gross it rolls up. Goldwyn is. determined that "Years" shall be exhibited in Eng- land on what he considers a "reason- able basis," no matter how long a' wait it entails. He's standing by the principle altljough it may cost him considerable coin, since tbe film is not subject to the 75% tax and he might now otherwise be getting full remittances from England. By wait- ing he will undoubtedly have the returns on-the picture caught in the coining freeze or other action by tbe British to save doUar exchange. Rank's stance is particularly un- reasonable now, Goldwyn execs feel, since he is claiming to be spreading out American product as far as pos- sible to be prepared in the event the present embargo of U. S. iilms to England' continues.' On this score. Rank recently relaxed his one-week ceiling on the Gaumont-British cir- cuit, but continues it on the Odeon, which has more and better houses. Goldwyn bas a deal by which hi^: pictures rotate between the two cir^ cuits, the first film playing one and the next the other. His last was on the G-B, so "Years" is slotted in the Odeon, and Goldwyn wilt- accept nothing less. Producer has been notorious in the 'U. S. for similar determination to get the terms he wants. Many of his jSlmS for this reason didn't play the Warner Bros, chain and he's still out of some other circuits because he doesn't feel they're giving him • square deal. He usually has resorted to playing the independent opposi- tion and the same thing may happen in England if Rank remains ada^ mant.'' Ryan for'GTory' Hollywood, Nov. 4. Iftdbert. Byan draws .one of top roles in RKO's "Honored Glory,'' episodic story built around War De- partment's bringing back nine un- identified! hero dead for selection of one as the Unknown Soldier. Others set for roles are Cary Gran1> Frank Sinatra; Robert Mit- chum and l^im HoR,, Matty Fox's Vitavision In Suit Over Patents Patent infringement suit involving a stereoscopic camera device was filed Thur.sday fSO.) in N. Y. federal eolU't by ClarenccW. Kanalt against Stereo Pictures Corp, Plaintiff, the patnnt owner of several licenses to make sterepscopic pictures in the U. S., charged Stereo had infringed by making, ' .selling and using pic- tures based upon his patents. Joining with Kanalt as plaintiffs In the action arc certain of his patent licensees including Pi'eser Corp., Sterak, Inc., Vitavision Corp. of America and the International Vitavision Coi;p. An injunction and accounting of the.profits are sought. Vitavision Arm, incidentally, is a newly-launched nrm which special- izes in three dimension photographs. Among its backers is a fii-oup of Universal Film execs, headed by «xec-veepee Matty Fox. U.^PixPlenty BoffmBriLNow London, Nov. 4. American pix whose boxofflce chances were consigned to the boneyard by certain trade, circles as result of the concerted attack against Hollywood are suddenly showing re- markable boimce. With the resur- gence, the theory pushed by a num-, ber of British crix that all' home- made product is good and taking big money while Yank imports are dead has exploded; Two events are breaking' the way for the new comeback. RKO's Bachelor Knight,'' ("Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer" in the IT, S.), is do- ing terrific business; at the Odeon, class West End house. Its first week, end take was plenty healthy with the Saturday' biz netting over: 1,000 pounds. That's more coin'taken in on a Saturday than for many months past. Highlighting "Bachelor's" smart performance is the fact that a flock of British pix are dying in the West End currently^ Obviously, the Em- pire^ label isn't enough per se to-hoist tile weakies into the higher brackets Of mone^ earners. And the British public'hasn't fallen for the myth tliat all British- films are good because they're so tagged by oveirenthusiastic critics. ■ Selection of Samuel Goldwyn^s 'The Bishop's Wife" for the annual Command /Performance gives U. S. entries an added hand.. The Com- mand JE^erformance is giving people plenty to talk 'and ■. illustrates again that American films are still quality product able to hold its own with the best*from British" lots. Reps for the major companies here want a maximum number of top American stars to make the trans- Atlantic crossing foi' the event. A truly representative show would mean an A-1 public relations job which would ti^ect itself in en- hanced prestige and bally for Yank pix. ' ■ ■'. ■,'-■■■ ' Anglo-lf. Fihn Accord Would Be 'Welcomed' London, Nov. 4. Settlement of the Anglo-American film tangle would be welcome to the Labor government. Parliament was told yesterday (Monday) by Glenvil Hall, financial secretary to the Treasury, but it must insure dol- lar savings equivalent to that pro-* vided by the tax. In winning Com- mons' approval of - the 75% bite. Hall said the. tax was saving $44,000,000 and any alternative must do like- wise. Hall hinted that possibility by in- creasing British film ^showings in America. "If a solution can be found by a greater showing of British films in the jtT. S. to compensate us for the ^flow of revSnue the other way or whether some form pf barter can be introduced whereby an exchange of pictures takes place is not for me to say," he added. . The frequent charge that the best Anglo pix are being denied^ a "proper showing" in the U, S. was reprised by the Treasury official. "We have not squealed, although that has happened," he declared. RanksOdeonHonsesUptoJnneDid Better Per tbeatre With British Pix S Hollywood, Nov. 4. : New ferame fashions, widely dis- cussed pro and con,- will form the basis of "Xhfi New.ltOOki,'' to b* pro- duced by Jde I^astamak at M^tro. Film Will be a musical tinter "Wrapped, around a fashion show and featuring dance'rQUtines by Bicsrdo Montalban-and Cyd C3tarjsse. ' Indies Ogle Brit Wji as Better Than No Income Under pressure from banks and secondary investors- io.pay oft-pro- duction loans on pictures, some indie producers have made moves toward exporting their films to Eng- land despite the 75% ad valorem tax. Their need -for money is so great, the 25% now looks a lot better than a dubious higher percentage in the future. Only extreme pressure fr:pm their distributors has kept some of the indies from sending their pictures across. Distribs made a pact among themselves, right after the British tax was announced, that they'd send over no product. Most of the indies who would consider accepting the 25% release through United Artists and' prexy Grad Sears has been forced «to use considerable pressure at times to keep them in line. Sears agreed to ,the embargo'on behalf of the UA producers. New moves this , week toward reaching "an industrywide coippro- mise with tbe Britisb on the tax situation is expected to halt, for tbe; moment^ at least, any inde- pendent action by the producers. Carey Inks 'Far Fact Hotly wood, Nov. A. Paramount reoptioncd MacDonald Carey, with studio since 1941. Now cosfarring with Paulette iGoddard in "Hazasd." CROWN REPS GOLDWYN AT 'C0M1»AND' SHOW Unable to go to England himself to attend the Command Performance Novi 25, Samuel Goldwyn has desig- nated nis foreign- salesmanager, Alfred Crown, to represent him. Crown left for London Saturday (1). Goldwyn's film, "The Bishop''s Wife,' is the Command Performance pic. Producer will go to England Dec. 12 for a three to four weeks stay. He accepted last week the chair- manship of the motion picture divi- sion of the Urban League Service Fund, it was announced by the cam- paign chairman, Henry R. Luce, of Time and Life. Urban League Is a Negro welfare organization. Statue of Liberty Faces Inland, Say Boultings . ~ London, Nov. 4. Two British film producers, who have theinselves been denounced by the U. S. House Un-American Cornf mittee, described the fikn probe last week as- "an intellectual means test." Roy and John Boulting, producers of the new political film, "Fame Is the Spur," were arrainged by the Congressional Committee in 1940 as "British agents and Communists' "when their film" "Pastor> Hall" was branded as "designed to drag the U. S. into war with Germany." "If the intention of the instigators of this inquiry—which has become a trial—was to prove the superiority of 'The American Way/ it has served only to prove the opposite," said the Boultings, Who also worked on "Vic- tory in the Desert,'' British war documentary. ••O/he Pilgrim Fathers, those early refugees in search of freedom, have no doubt turned in their gravesi The Statue o£ Liberty should now be faced inland." London, Kov. 4. Dramatizing the gains made by British pix tai their borne territory over foreign pix competitors (almost entirely American), J. Arthur Rank's Odeon circuit has Issued a break- : down of average weekly takes of the two in its 303 theatres for year ending June 28, 1947. Analysis, part of the annual Odeon flnancial statement, shows that in fiscM '47, British flbids snared 694 pounds ($2,776) per week per theatre while Imports garnered 983 pounds ($2,332), Tlie ratio in which Anglo pix did 19% better on the average is ex- actly parallel to '46 when British pictures hit 741 pounds (f2,964) against 627 pounds ($2,508) by for- eign films. But it's a sizeable re- versal from the three years before when the Imports' consistently led homemade product, ■ In 1945, for instance, foreign pix ' averaged 566 pounds ($2,264) again.;t British grosses of 553 pounds ($2,212). Latter lagged even further behind in '44 when the foreign films did ; we^y biz of 580 pounds ($2,320) and the British, 636 pounds ($2,144). In '43, Odeon's average for imports was 571''pounds ($2,284) against 50'8 pounds <$2,024) for the home cntrie<». Odeon's net profit for fiscal '47, ended' June 28, is 676,209 pounds ($2i704,838), a fairish gain over the 528,215 pounds ($2,112,860) netted in 1946. Nonetheless, Rank's states ment to stockholders de.clared, level of attendances have fallen as .com- pared with the war years. ';lt is, however, still aj^ove that of 1039 and I do not feel we shall fall to that level," he added. Gross profit came to 2,362,370 pounds which compared with 3,186,- 168 pound's obtained by the chain in the year before.' Value of thea- : tres and equipment during the year climbed from 17,884,460 to 19,611,- 425 .pounds. THE 19'BACK TO COAST; B'WAY LEGIT ALERTED Nineteen film directors, writers and actors subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Com« mittee returned to their jobs on the Coast over, the weekend after re- vealing they'll campaign in tbeir Guild organizations to have the con- tempt citations against 10''of them voted down when Congress recon- venes. What kind of work they'll be assigned to by the studio^ to whom they remain under contract remains to be seen. New York branch of the recently- organized Committee for the First Amendment, meanwhile, iS' quietly mapping plans to fight any invasion of Broadway by the House probers. Despite indications by House Com- mittee members that any investiga- tion of-Broadway woidd be impos- sible, progressive show biz reps are wary after insinuation by cx-£^quire film critic Jack Moffit that the legit theatre also is "infested" with Com- munism. Detailed plans of the First Amendment Committee will await initial action by the'House. Decision to campaign for revoca- tion of the House contempt citations was revealed at a meet in the Park Central hotel, N. Y., Sunday (2) sponsored by the Civil Rights Con gress. Chairman George Marshall declared the Congress would attempt to secure 500,000 names on petitions seeking abolishment of, the House committee. Other speakers included Albert Maltz. one of those cited for contempt, Dorothy Parker and Vin cent Sheean. 30 New Pic Pioneers Some 30 men a.sSociatcd with the film industry are scheduled to be inducted into the Picture Pioneers at the organization's eighth annual dinner at the Hotel Plaza, N. Y., Nov. 19. Presiding at the conclave's ceremonies will be N. Y. Supreme Court Justice Ferdinand Pecora. George Jesscl vyill toastmaster for the Pioneers which is composed of men who have' been identified with the industry for at lea.^t 25 years. Applications from candidates desir ing to be inducted at the dinner will be accepted until Nov. 17, ac- cording to the group's proxy. Jack Gohn, Columbia Pictures v^pce. U DROPS LEGIT OPTION BUT PAR MAY TAKE IT Universal - International has dropped the option it held to enter into a pre-production deal for screen rights to "The Survivors," forthcom- ing Broadway legiter, and Para- mount may take the deal instead. Play by Irwki Shaw and Peter : Viertel is being prepared for open- ing in January under sponsorship of Bernard Hart and Martin Gabel. U-I option called for $50,000 down payment against a ceiling of between $300,000 and $350,000, the final sum to be determined by length of the play's run. Paramount is negotiating a similar deal, although the terms probably will be different. It will l&ely put coin into the legiter as an Investment, hi addition to buying the screen rights, if nego^atlons ai-e suc- cessful. Play is being capitalized at $75,000. N. Y. to L. A. Dan Fisher Jack Kapp Perry Lieber Arnold Moss Emeric Pressburger Dore Schary Adrian Scott Ann Shirley Henny Youngman L. A. to N. Y. Ben Alexander Ethel Barrymore Lee Bowman Norman Collins Al D'Agostino Irene Dunne Jimmy Ellison' y. Frank Freeman Jay Gomey Van Heflin Anne Jeffreys George Jenkins A. West Johnson Norman McLeod Lew Parker Louclla O. Parsons Sam Pierce Walter Plunkett Paul Radin ^ Hal Roach Wynn Rocamora Helen Rose Charles P. Skom-as Oliver Thorndike Tim Whelan Dud William.son Peter Van Zerneck N. Y. to^ Europe Alfred Crown Morris Helprin Sir Louis Sterling