Variety (January 1950)

*VAIItETY'S' LONDON OFEICI I tt iwartlii*! Pl>c«> TrafalgT Squar* P^^lErr nYEimiirA'iiONjLi. 11 -^>Buenos Air^s, Jan, 3; 4 Argentina's > major studios are flUeady announcing iea^^^ tion schedtil^ fpr this year, coiint- ine bri increased protection b^s^d nn government plans, to intensify ^te subsidies to “deserving’' firo- ducers, and to increase tlip , play- ing time that must be. dedicated In all theatres to locally-made pix, or the percentages of receipts to be taken by prbdiicers; total pro- ductibn for this past year will be In the heigiiborhood Of 48. pix, pri^ vided some now rolling are finr | islied before the next two days. : peliculas Argentihas Asoeiadas,. a nev'ly-fornied distributicin unit, will have “Los, Perez Garcia,” di- rected by Fernando Bolin and-Boh-[^ 'NaTjy7-ready^for-“reiease-^^^ Januaryr This picture Is a sCr^ adaption of the radio scripts broad- cast for 10 years over the Mundo netwQi-k, authored by Oscar Luis Massa, and sponsored ^by Sterling Products throughout Latin-Amer- ica,. The Perez Garcias are a fam- ily very much on the - Aldrich fam- ily style and most of the charaic- tei s in. the screen version are played by their radio counterparts. It looks as though, for the time being at least, producers will be able to work intensively, without fear of the strikes Which have slowed up production iii Argentine studios throughout. ib49; A. labor contract has just been isigned be- tAveen the Producers Assn, and the Film Extras Assn. Cinematografica Interamericana has issued a list of 32 pix on its program for 1950^ including iotir jach to be made with Luis San- hini and Maria Felix and t>VG of Nini Marshall’s, who is currently making pix in Spain. Of these 32, jome will be rolled in . Mexico, notably two with Pepe Iglesias (El Zorro), One Of the Nini Marshall pix win be directed by Mexican Julio Soler. Thirteen Enielco pix will be distributed by Interameri- cana, and both studios will co-pro- duce a .film based on a story by Juan Carlos Goyanarte^ “Lago Aiv gentino" (“Argentine Lake"), The. Motion , Picture Producers' Assn, plan in the U. S. to assist in the distrlbutibn of foreign filnis inside North America, is en- couraging Interamericana to try for exhibition of Argentine pix in some of the, major U. S. circuits, and pot only in -Spanish^speakr ing districts. Interamericana has opened a European distribution of-' ftce in the Buei Clement Marot, in IjNjn in Ne^ Br^ JEpc Pods for 2^ Lohddn, Jah; lO. y Although the position of Gen* Lyman Mupspn, who resigned re- cehtly ■ as rnahaging dir^tor df 2dth-FQx British productioris, isn’t to be filled, Fred Fok has been; ap- pdihted productioh chief in Lon- don, .with Ben Lyon as ' talent and production exec. Both Fox ! and Lyon have been closely identified, with fhe company’s iEurppean prpV gram during the past . there years and have recently returned from a Hollywood visit for consultations o n thcr fut ure schedule. First ■ subject scheduled for pi^- Mexico City, Jan. 3; Government and Mexican pip' trade are pleased by the rbeipro-' cal film' swap pact Mexico- and France have made. Pact resulted from ah exchange of notes by, the two governments. It calls fpr An unlimited exchange of pix in their native langirage, With titles in Spanish for Mexican ^ and ih French for Mexican pix.; ■ Pact lasts pntil next June 3.0. Each government has the pptibii of extending the pact for a period that's mutually; agreeable, T^lk ii that a like pact will be sought With the Argentine in 1950. ductiori - this - y wilL be “The Mudlark,, followed by “No High-. way7’ “21 Bow Street” and “Im terppl.’V Argentina Sono Filiti is mulling ever making a picture about George Sand, with Zully Moreno ih the lead, during 1950. Luis Cesar Amadori, studio’s star direc- tor, is due to travel to Europe late In 1950 for picture-making in ppain and also prpbably iii Mexico on the return jouniey. Einelco has started production of U Miierte e s t a Mintiendo”: r Death Is Lying”)> with Carlos fiorcosque megging, from- a script t’ndio author Abel Santa Criiz, and Narcisp Ibanez Menta in the lead. ■ Efa Studios is getting set to re- “A la Hab^a me yby,” niadA partly in' Hayaria, Caracas and ■ouenos Aires and a niiXed Latin- Anierican cast. . Argentina Sono Film’s, last pro^. auction of 1949,: ^‘A Lahifuerte/’ nas been released at the Ambassa- oor theatre, and Emelco teed off at plan; Rex; 0ec. 27, with its super-production, “Danzaide directed : by Ddniel Ti- 1 'vith Amelia Bence in the eaa, aim Spanish composed Manu- nn n?^ Falla’s music of the same S ^ theme song. This picture been tried out in the S^jJ^^^rovinces pf^ M Rome; Jan 3; Winter s C a s o n of hightciub openings got a very late start this season due possibly to the unusuaL ly warni weather this fall. However, the last few weeks have seen the opening of the Excels^ior, at the Ex- celsior hotel, perhaps the most important of the interhationals in Rome, the ABC club at the Am- basisador hotel, and the Boite in old Rome. The Rivoli has been open for several weeks and the Jockey club and Rupe Tarpea have been flpurishing for the Roman trade for some time, as has the Tavenia at the Bristol hotel. All feature dancing with music fur- hi$hed by local musicians, and some have an act or two which happen to stray this far away frpm the beaten path* Clubs do a large business Pveiy night in the. week, even; though Rome has never been Imow^ as A nightclub. town due to the fact that it is a capital composed of many civil “ service Piriployees, and includes, the Vatican city> with thousands of Church employees. However, Roiiie is finding itself for the first trnie after the war, And with traveling facilities beepming better all the time, the winter sea- son should seA a healthy club bus- iness. Most of these clubs are lo- cated below the street leyel, and aren’t air conditioned. Thus the colder weather is an iihpoi’tant factor. Americans to R^ume Filin in lennaitQntfQt of 1^^ •I. ; Mexiep City^ Jan. 3*: As more than half of iJeXican M G Empire VaudfOm ■ 1;* Seidelmttnlo LoriJdn : Eagle Lion for- ^ planed to Loiidoh over 'K^^l^end oil iPoksee of Gonti- ? * offices. He wili: be gone two weeks. .. ASeidelman named homeoffice sales f the foreign deparL Al.l^eck had been most Te- Picture Export Assm thP, in Japan. Before; at he had. beei)L With Gpluinbia. London, Jan. 10* First two weeks of the vaud- fiim policy at Metro’s Empire the- atre, Leicester Square, have bro- ken the house records set up by “Broadway Melody’? in 1929. Despite success, however, other West End theatres are adopting a cautious wait-and-see policy before deciding Whether or pot to fol- low suit; Arthur. S. Abeles, Jr., Warners’, local ^ topper^ said his company would Wait at least six months before . making ■ a decision. The Rank Organization, which has :two theatres in; the Senate, be- lieves its main task is to sell mo- tiph pictures,. hot' vaiidevilie. Gruenstein ;^eps Plans Fbr ’50 Vienna Filming Vienna, Jah; 3. I U* S.; film producer Moritz I Gruehstein has returned to Vienpa and immediately began \yQrl^. ,on his 1950, output , His Berna-Donau Film inked Eduard. von Bbrsody to direct Anzehgruber’s “Fourth Com- .m^ndment.’’ . With Atti Hoerbi- I ger, Fritz. Imhoff. Alfred Neuge- I bauer, Alma, Seidler and Douglas Sarveant in lea'd.ing parts. , ’ ' Eduard Hopsch will he. in charge ■ of the second production, “Auf der i Aim gibt es k ei n e. Su.ehde;’ . I .“There, is no si n. on the Alps’;’». V. Bolyar^; will direct- “Gypsy Mu-, sic,” a story writteti by Rudolf Egger. While -in Munich, Gruen- steiiv founded the BavarUn-Ber.na ;film. pix’s gross comes. from export; trade will stress selling more than ever in 1950, With inten^ siye quest of more foreigii mar- kets. An^es SexTa Rojas, prez of Banco NaciPhal Ginematografico, also reported a big upswing in Mexican pix's popularity in .the U. S , Canada and Ceptral and South America, Banker reyealed that Mexican pix’s gross in 1948 was $2,650)000 in Mexico and $2,185,000 abr^ and that estimates for the first half of 1949 showed a home and foreign gross) both up, that were about even, nearly $1,600,000 each. Serra Rojas revealed that Amer- icaris will resume producing pix in English in Mexico in ’50 He . said thiS: resumption is skedded for the second half of January and that his bank will Afford such produc- ers all possible facilities. Banker said Mexico welcomes this prod,uC- tion because of the hew values it will afford; Mexican pix. How- eyer, he revealed, all such product tion will be rigidly supervised by the government’s cinematographic supervision (censorship) depart- ment. .Marion F. JdrdAh, . Motion Pic-] ture Assn, of America representa- tive in GArraany, is reported re- ■ signing that post shortly to accept appointment as head of; bperatioris for one of the . MPA A member companies iii Germany, Jordan was head of the Motion Export Assn, setup there ffpmi the end of the war iihtit, the ended its selling activities in Ger- many last. Dec; 3l! He then; took the MPA A job, wbicb it Was. uji^. derstood he Was to hold - pntirriext iJiiiy I; rTA^mAan-^^is-^uhdeiAtbod^plkhning ttor- - •’ Frahltfurt,-Jan., 3. The major probleni facing the distribiitibh ;of American . motion; pictures- in. Germany in 195(); will be , attempts of certain Germaii circles to control—and, if possible, regufate^-the imports of American pix: into the Reich. ; ; This opinion was voiced by Marion F. Jprdah, Mbtioh Picture Assn, of America rep herCf Jprdan, who has the delicate job of acting as a G-Man of the American indus- try here) said that .negotiations have already begun with Federal' authorities as well as local : film circles on- the, cphtrol issue, V ^ ^ Jordan, thought there Was a; good possibility of working Out a schemb which Would eliminate this danger^ However,: he is worried about tbe^ future,/When Germans will possess' m.orA/^uthqrity*-an^^^ fa ripj 1 p,ss : Allied interventioh and guidance;; • Federal German authorities hay,e TIN PAN ALLEY LEADS Herliri, Jah. 3. The Amerieamcpntfoiled Ger- man radio station RIAS has hit the pollsters jackpot with a program “Schlager der Woche’’ (“Hits of the yVeek”). The program relies on letters of request to compile its list of favorites. Right now “Ghost- riders” is riding on top. It is foL lowed by VMaharadscha of Magi- doiV* “jCivilizatron,” “Rum, and Coke” and “Maria and Bahia.’' Top German song ifr “How Do You Do?” from the picture “Hallo Frahlein.’' Second is “Der Kleine . Elefant” while “Heimweg hach deni Kutr fursttendamm” (or “Longing for Berlin”) is third. . For the year 1949, BIAS of- ficials list “Mariandle/’ “Chiu- Chiu,” “Maria from Bahia,” “Sweet and Lovely,” “Y o u n g Man With a Horn,” “Slow Boat to China,’' “Ghostriders,” “Heim-/ weg nach Berlin” and “Rum and [Coke” as the most , requested 'songs.' The program went live last week for the^ first time, with the RIAS dance orchestra conducted ! by Weiner'Miller*taking the I of the late Mark Warriow. j. . ■ ^ ^ '• i this week for the II; S. He’ll epri- fab. with • MPAA exeCs and pre- ^umably set details pf bis new deal : denied: that they rplan Such ^ move, in Germany, : 1 Howeverj there are some reported plans of the free Pemocratic Party, a rightist group, to put a mbtibn to that effect, in order to “save”'the German industry. Control over him imports Was handed to the Germans about a ; month ago.: Its first result was that 1. [when the recent Austi-iah-German T- itiAde agreement was concluded, the :t: j t I agreement dii exchange of motion . . London^ Jan. o, pictmAs between the tWo cPuntides Growing feeling within the Brit- j wa^ banned* i'sh film industry that there will be “Jordan reason a government Artnolihcemept be- ; for the German industry being in a fore the end pf March dropping snag is the cPmpetitlpn of old Ger- . the quota to around. 25%, is ; lead- man pix, produced before or during ing to increasing hesitancy among the war, which Are much better independent producers. A number i than the new ones. These pictures, of indie outfits with scripts pre- [ most of which Were impounded by pared and casts tentatiyely lined vAlUed authorities, because they up, are sitting tight until the neWs ' Were : bwhed by ^ Nazi state or is broken Within the stipulated; bahned prbductibn companies, are six-month period before the 1950' hoW—after proper clearance—sold quota comes into operatiori Oct. 1.! as bargains to the distribs. Apart Number ;of: indies fear that if ■ fmm being better in qua these the quota is sliced ihythe way in- [ pix draw only some 25% taxes at dicated,:they will, with few excep- [ the: most, While taxes of new prod- tipns, be squeezed out of business,; ucts run as high as 40 to 50%. The The quota of 25% Which could/be j rea.sbn for the exhibs giving very satisfied, with a production pro-1 good playing times to these films^ gram of 40, would Jeave no seppe | sometimes better thait given to the for the small man who is already :new_is Pbyious leading a hazardous existence uri-;! - ' der the higher figure* Needs of the circuits, if the quota cut takes place) coiild: ade- quately be Satisfied by the restrict- ed output from the Bank studios with its po-Americah production and from the Associated British, and Korda studios, with just the odd hooking now_ and then from sources, outside the, major, groups. 1. . .. , . ^ Independents .who ' are. affected : hope that theii* point of view and . of pight^new their very: existence Will be con- in tin^ for the Year sidered by the Board of Trade be- V^mmay trade, has been patched up [fore the quota is scaled at the be- unique court oiv 1 best of exhibitors and major pip* pix apparently Will reach : ' diicers; j exhibs.lntime toca.sh in on Japan’ai traditional biggest, boxoflice Week. ■Hassle began when Shin Tpho . studio announced it would begin distributing its own product in I j a mtary; Heretofore, Shin Tohp (New Tbhb) has relied upon ita Munich,; Jan.: 3,. parent, concern, Tohp Motion Pic- An organization called Filmkbn- turp and Theatrical Co., for dis- tor was formed here iii what ap-.[tributipn. Tohp has approximately Jani on 8 Fix Release In /Tokyo, Jan. 2. Feiid : betWejBn two Nipponese .’to / Sydney; Jan; 3* / Harold Gax?y, who plays the tole, i of the peddier in the burr e n t i smash “Oklahoma!,”, for JT C/ Wij- liamsbn, niay return to the U; S* shortly* Gary ha.s been in :the , shpw. for about a/ year. ' LbeaV : character, actor Sydney Wheeler, [may replace. ! ' Louise Barnhart may also plane /back to theto^ be/married after conti’act expires with “Okla- /homa!,? -Show .will tour NeW, Zea- land after; coip.pletibn of boff .Aus- sie runaround. . Paris Tooter Strike Eiid s Paris, Jah. 10. / Paris Opera/ and the . Opera; Comique, both darkened for five weeki; due to a musicians/ strife reopen tomorrow (Wed. i after, govr , eminent, officials^ promised. to ad-. just a salary dispute. In demanding more pay. the men poinh cl out that musicians in night clubs were receiving a ; ivigher iScalek-' pears to" be the first serious mbne^ ] 1,000 theatres u n d e r Contract [ tary contributiori to . put German throughout Japan, and in turn has \ j film production back bn its feet, } relied heavily pri Shirt Tohp’s stur I .The orgahization, headed by vet- dio output tp keep the hPuses sup- erah financier Wilhelm Mary^ unites several BaVanan banks for! . Lcilss of the Shin Tpho product purpose . Pf setfih with ./hmuld make it . imppssibliei fpr .which pix making, will/be .financedv/ Tpho to kebp its: contract commit- It includes the Bavarian stale bank, /nients/ : Of immediate concern ' while Marrien .ai.so; s a i;- ' Werp . eight ^ n Shin Toiio.; pix I OpO.OpO .mark (about $235,000) slated for . New Year’s release. I cphtributiGn//frbhitfe Frankfurt/Tpho^:-/b Tokyo] district/ RecpmshmcHori /Bank. Negbtiations... .cou'rt for an injunction to resti:a:in add banks of all the 11/ federal . granted* Sbiri Toho filed'a cotinfer ' siaTbs t]5“1ielE^mhl]^sl^p^:iTst“-rHf^ht“]7'fed^cotrr^ [. ] . .j compromise, order providing for a IT C ft Special committee composed pf an Ucrinany .S .lOp U« O# ]riA' ./equal; number exhibs and Frankfurt, Dec,, ^^3 . Tpho .studi<€^ execs to take I. /.: <G fsi’m a n." d i s tri bs -ha m e.d ; “ T h e. . lb ® P ^; P h d ar- ' Song of Betmadette,// “The Best su.itable djstn.butiph.' ; Year.s of Oui;. Lives/’ . and “Dcstry » i .Ride's Again”/as/top./grb$sihg^,U S.. w/Olff Is Host at Lon : gro.ssed. arPun(l;.‘ .6;0PP.,GOO. 'marks. : / London, Jahv..l0. ! (about $1*400,000) each,, accp.rdmg] / new, private thealre built by j to the. Motiph. Fiet.vire Export A.ss|i, RK.Q B^diP in their London head.r i Shoes” . and.; ”The " darl," and- thi“e ] French ; filfn.s;, ' ].. Ho.st was Robert S. Wolff, RKO'b '‘CJ armen,” . :“'T)re ; (^bunt of .Mb.hie.' m in Britain, sup- Carlo’? - GbHeuse de executives pf the iHarme.”;:-;- •'Vbpm^any,