Variety (January 1950)

PICTCBBS Wi^nesdajr^ JaiUia^ lli^, 1950 T^r^TTTTE^dbrt; ■ Tan. IT. ParaileUng eftorts of the U. S |ilm industry to reduce or abolish the federal adiiiijSsion tax via grass roots camhaigns; British exhibs are cuiTcntly launching a large-scale campaign to garher Parliamentary: Eupport for tax relief. Preliininary to the British general elections set for FCb; 23; every candidate for the House of - Commons, irrespec- tive of his political hue, is being collared on his attitude towards the entertainment tax . question, ; Gandidates whose replies are considered httsatiSfactory will like^ jy^ lose the votes of the exhibitors, although the exhibs^ organization; Cinema Exhibitors Assn., is Greek Remittanees Hollywood, Jan, 17; Warners released Charles .Hoff- man from his writer-producer con- tract by mutual agreement, after an association of eight years. Pact still had two years to run. HoffmarnWhohaa^been writlhg^^ series of stories for Cosmopolitan mag, will switch to Goillers, under Up by 200G lor\'501»:aeavcaWnB ^ Hollywood, Jan: 17; ' Motion picture remittances from Greece: will ,aniouht to $50o,op0 this year, compared with approxi- mately $300,000 in prewar times, according to a report Seht to the Assn, of Motion Picture Producers by John Enepekides,, ecOnomic spe- cialist; at the American Embassy; Athens^. /; Enepekide^ declares 70 % of the hlms i^hown in Greece come from Hollywood. There is a heavy de- 1 mand for IBm prints because most Brifeh Filin^T^ SeCii Uoitdl on Lovirer London, Jan, 17. Film trade, it’s believed, will adf voCate 'a substantially lower quota for the third year of the present Films Act. Sir Henry L^ French, director-general Of the British Plumbing for any oiie party iq ^of the population is rural, living j Film Producers Assn., gave this cases Where ail candidates in a dis- |far from estahlished; theatres, trict support theic proposals. The. CEA is faced With the job of inr flue ncing’ Parliament befoi’e the consideration of the annual budget, icheduled. sometime in July. ■ Nine Candidates ' : The film Industry as a whole is making , a substantial bid for rep- resehtatipn in the new^ H There are at least nine candidates, from the exhibition and distribu- tion field; With all of them, located oh the Labor ticket. These include four incumheht^^^^^^'^ Fletcher, director of A ssociated British Pictures Glorp;: John Diar mohd; exhihitor; Tom O’Brien, the- atrical union leader; and Norman J. Hulbert;; another exhib. ^ Newcomier candidates include Sydney K.; Lewis, an Associated British exec; ft. J. Miniicy, pro- ducer; j; D. Richards, son pf an exhibitor; John Curthoys, doCu* mentary film director; and Reg Groves, script writer. ^Curthoys, whose last film was desighed as Labor Party propaganda, is riim ning in the War dour Street area," covering London’s film row. A. Beverly Baxter, Evening Standard dfama critic, is defending his Con: •ervative seat in th e London Sou th- gate area'/ ., ;■ Absent from the .candidate list Is George H. Elvin; general secretary ©f the . Assn, of Cine Technicians, who has run in several past elec- tions, George Archibald; forpiei; managing director of United Art- ists in England, is also missing, fince his elevation to the peerage last Slimmer made him ineligible for the House; He is a likely mem- ber for the cabinet, however in the event of a Labor victory. : Period immediately pri the. election usually; puts .show busirtess . into the doldrums' and exhibs have been preparihg for this over the past couple of months; Counter- fctlractions offered by the election- eering provide enpugh public di- version to keep the. public put bf theatres.'" All the political parties are fol- lowing, custom and using radio to *ir their policies. It’s still Unde- cided whether video will, be Used •s :a propaganda aid: There is iome doubt among, political lead-, ers whether, top-ranking spokes- men. renovyned for: their oratory, would be photogenic in TV cloSe- ups.-’ Meeting of Yank industry execs with British governmeht officials on renewal of the • Anglo-Ii. S. films agreement will be heid after the elections in England, Feb, 23. That hews was conveyed to the Motion jPictufe Export Assn, board by prexy Eric Johnston at a session in New York yesterday (Tuesday); Johnsloh • read the ditectors a cable from Harold Wilson, presi- :dent of the British Board of Trade, suggesting that the Americans Wait Until after the b^illoting to 'come to London for the negotiations. He suggested no definite date. Dispatches from London indicate that the session prbbably will be held between March 15 . and 30. They cannot be held' befpre Parlia- ment meets March 6 and it is thpught likely that; there Will be an intervening period after that to give the newly-elected government a chance to gei Itself organized. Yesterday’s MPEA meeting, pfe/ sided over, by Johnston, was not attended by company prexies, but by foreign managers. In addition .to discussion ; of the British .rneetf ing dates and other general’mat- ters .directors gave for mail okay to Johnston’s selections for the Mo- tion Picture Assn, of .America tearn of negotiators at the London con- claves; They are Barney Bala- ban, Joseph; Hazeh, Nichblas M; Schenck, Spyros Skburas and Ned e; pepirtet; / In addition, Society of Independ- ent MbtlDn Picture Producers will send its prexy, Ellis G. Arnall; Gpldwyn Productions president James A. Mulvey and perhaps seV^! eral indie producers impression when speaking at a press conference. In London last; Friday :(13 French made a'num- ber pi" reyepUng observations which strengthen trade feeling that the industry can no longer put up a front by' insisting on an artificial high quota, which at best could only be met by the major circuits; , First, Sir Henry confirmed that for the current quota of 40%. the major circuits were falling: behind schedule, and it was Regarded as Unlikely that they Avpuld their obligations in the first .six months ending March 31; as re- quired under the Act. Second, the estimated output oh vvhich the third q^ year will be calculated is likely to fall below the total of 74 forecast for the sec- Phd year, and finally; th e produ- cers are hoping that they Will see eye to eye With exhibitors on the recommendatiPn which the indus- try Is .asked to make to the Board of Trade Films Council, It is this last point; Which ind^ cates more. clearly than anything else the changed butlopk pf the produeefs; The Gihematograph Ek- hibitors Assn, hasn’t budged from i,ts original attitude; on the quota, and from the inception of the 1948 Act; has always urged a percentage not "higher thaii 25. That is still the policy of tnP CEA and if the two organizations are to reach agreement; it will presumably haVe to be on the basis of CEA policy. Aithough the first quota year re- sulted in .more pictures than the bare; minimum required to satisfy the 45% quota; French explained away the substahtial; exhibitor de- faults, approaching around . 2,000, as being due to the fact that all British-made products were not bbxoffice, ak Well as the changed circumstaMes which gave ihde- pendent theatres the chance to book topgrade iHollywPod product at a lower rental figure. O’Shea Huddles^ ^ oh Korda Battle Daniel Ty p’Bhea, top : SelziilCk exec, afrived in New York, yester^ day: (Tuesday) for confabs with Sir Alexander Korda’s reps regarding Selznick’s .battle with Korda; and oh other matters. Also east are studio Counsel, Robert . Darin, and David O. Selznick’s npW exec aide, attorney, Louis T. Stone.: v Stone was expected tp go to Eng/ land in a few weaks bn the Korda mattief and has; b in huddlire with other Selznickites familiariz- ing himself With it. pann was over there jii December: and there was sortie possibility he Wbuld re-r turn with Stone. . Suit brought by Korda in New York yesterday ;iTujes,) will probably change those Deal now in final stages between Lopert Films and j; Arthur Rank; for distribution of approximately 30 of : the British producer’s pix in th€;tJ. S. calls for payment to Rank of £ 225,009 ($636;()G0) Piuis: 50% of the profits. Ilya Lopert, Who heads: the New York distribution outfit, said Monday (16) that he an- ticipates the deal Will be ready for the bitter hassle between David b. Selznick and Sir Alexander Kor- da over their reciprocal distribu- tion deals in thf two hemispheres landed in the courts yesterday (tues.) when Korda filed action to rescind all deals aiid restrain; Selz,, nick from, releasing either “The Third Man” or “Gone to Eairih Complaint was brought in the New York Federal district court M'itiv Lohdon Filmi productions and Brit-r Ish Lion Film Gorp; as piaintlffs and Selzhicfc Releasing Organiza/ tion and Vanguard Films named defendants;'- : Complaint charged Selznick with violating the pact oh a number of counts, in asfang rescissibn; Kbixla offers to, paY reasonable salaries to Joseph :Cotten, AUda VaUl and Jen- nifer Jones* three Selznick stars who Were borrowed by the- British producer for the twb films; “Third Man’’ Is booked for Its U:S. preem in the yietbria theatre ' City .Investing Broadway show- case, Feb. 1, . According to Louis (Schwartz, &) Frohlich, Korda’s at-: torney; steps will be taken to stop this scheduled bpeniiig. $uit does hot affect Korda’s “Falieri Idol.” which Selznick is how distributing in the U. S. under a similar deal. Steprby-step account m the conir- plaint tells Korda^ version; Qrigi-r; i nal^deal was made In May; 1948, inVbiying four British pix. Later,- the deal was;modified to coyer only two pictures, VThird: Man” and :*■ Gone; td: Earth.*’^^ the pact. Gotten and Vaili were loaned for “Third” vahd Miss Jones for ‘^larth.- Deal allegedly then provided that; Korda Would be paid 200,000 pounds by Selznick oh delivery of “Third” and isO,000 pounds for “Earth.” Additionally, it is said, Selznick was tb give a bank guaranr tee against that money. Selznick • 1 • - • u * -i 4 . 1 was to receive m return. Western mkmg m about SIX: to eight weeks.. Hemisphef-e.rlglits to the two fil m.s, METRO USING Although the pollsters in Eng- land are being more cautious than they Were at the. time of the DeWey-Trumah election here, tb ere Indications that Metro is pushf Ing for spring production of its much-postponed “Quo Vadis” is seen in activity on the film by, the studio’s New York casting office: Numerous Br.oadWay legit players is general belief in London politi- ! cal etrclek that the Labor Parly i TOE IN RANK Recently inauguraied economy moves by ,J. Arthur Rank’s ;U. S. wing will soon see Jerry Dale, chief • ide: to exec yeepee Joe k La w rence, move over tb Eagle Lion. Dale will probably handle ad-pub Cam- pai,gns on EL’s releases of Rank’s British pix. He will work under Leon Brandt, company’s ad-pub- heiad..'"" will be returned to power with a niore modest majority than it now enjoys. If that assumption proves correct* an important question for the Anglo-American industries i.s; Whether Wilson retains hii Board of Trade post. •It Is expected that “Vadis” will go into production in Rome during the spring. It Will he filmed par- tially there and partially in Holly- wood, Sam Zimbalist, who will pro- duce, and Mervyn LeRoy, who will [ • direct, are expected to spend some ] i?..' ThT ■ . - .1.. -l' i? _ ■ One thing appears certain, how- Ih/New before proceed- ing to Rome and will put the final okay oh people suggested by Alt/ man’s department: it ivS understood that Broadway legit players may get many of the major roles. Only actors definite so far are Leo Genn for FetrOnius and Peter Ustinov, for Nero. to ever, according to London reports, 'That is that, if Labor is returned tb power, Wilson Will continue in an important spot. If: he doesn’t continue as Bi bf T. prexy, it is beUeved he’ll be upped to an eVqn higher cabinet position and his Other changes; in Rank persoin- j successor on the B; of T. Wouid nel are expected in the near future. i undoubtedly : be someone Within Moreover, outfit is contempiatihg ; the anti-doHar-spending orbit of ii move to UniversaTs quarters on; Sir Stafford Gripps, present Chan- the sevdhth floor of the N. Y. Uni- cellor of the Exchequer. To that versai: building from its. present; extent, there would be no material quarters oh the 16th floor of the: change; in the ^.ttitude of a new kanie biulding. S will iSke ; Labor governmeht toward the film pl«ice if Robert Ben janTin. head; of ■ industry. And the Conservatives; the N; Y. unit, can find a lessor to . it is^ believed, would be: as tough^ | month after a tour bf several take over the leth floor space; if not tougher | months througli; Australia and the Change m quarters Would be • v; ■.," ■’ Far Eaist. He .broke the Way for a costTsaving move since the lower M ^ * ii* V i 20th prexy Spyros Skouras, who liobr rental is cheaper. ‘I lllA^l^n 111 Hiirn : will leave; ftbout Feb. 15 for a Emanuel Silyerstorie, assistant foreign chief for 20th-Fpx, returns to the U: S- at theend Of thi^ The pix include most of the top Rank product that has been dis- tributed in America since the* war by Universal,. Eagle Lion ;:and Uriited^’Artists. Rank’s U. S. rep, Robert Benjamin* is noW engaged in arrangements With the distribs to get the ^rights back, and it is this process which is delaying the 'deal. ’the stumbling blocks in this pror cedure are considerable: - it is hoped they are not so great, how- ever, as to: cause a major fevision of the deal, although that is pos- rible.-' , .. ' Universal’s. “Hamlet,” Eagle Lion’s ‘Red Shoes” and other re- i cent films are not inciuded. UA's ! “Henry V,” however, as included [and is a point of difficulty at the moment: UA’s license does not ex- pire until Aprily 1951, and it is in no nioOd tp give it up before that time, Other companies are relin- quishing Ucenses oh films that they have had; in release fpr spme time and figure haVe little or no further value , tb them. There is ho pay- ment tb them invelyed. Among the product; Rank has promised to Lopert is “Caesar and I Cleopatra,” “Great Expectations,” “Seventh Veil,” “Blithe Spirit,” “Stairway to Heaven,’’ “Brief En- counter,” “Black Narcissus,”“Odd Man Out” and “Madonna of the I Seven Moons,” provided present li- censees give up rights. Lopert gets the rights fbr seven years. Taken off the top before diy.vy of inebme are advertising ex- pehses, print costs; etc. Rank is geMing; his coin in sterlihg, of course, which is being acquired by Lopert at a discount from Amer- ican distribs with money frozen in England. This is in accordance with the Anglb-U. S. Filins agreement of March, ;i948; .: ; Ampng the shareholders in Lo- I pert Films, and* undbubtedly back- ing; the foreign film distrib and arty circuit pperator are Robert W. Dowling, prez of City Investing Gbri-and ; Robert Gpelet, Sr. Down- ing and Gbelet are both New York real estate operators. Gors $1.06 Divvy Cbliimbia Pictures has declared H dividend of $1.06^4 per share to cumulative . preferred stockhold- ers-' Payment will be made Feb. 15 to stockholders of record Feb. I. metro in Hpllywobd, Jan.; I*?. Production at: Metro wili hit the high spots dbbut the middle of next month with li pictures acr tiyely in work. These ;will include two early [ lengthy trip through the same ter- ritbry.;- ' , SkoUras expects to be away about fbu^ mbiiths. He’ll travel by air; looking into 20th’s ppera- tions: with a view toward potential expansion of theatre holdings and February starters and pine hold-1 the thawing of coin frozen in vari- overs from previous months. ..; pUs„;cbuntrie», N Y. to L A. Joe Gsida Lew Grade Abner. J. Greshler Katherine Locke Paul Lukas Reginald pWen Val Parnell Charles P. Skouras Hal Walliii (Continued on page 20) Ellis Arnall Lucille Barkley Ethel Barrymbre Edgar Bergeh Hoa^ Carmichael Robert patin Linda .Darheli Rat de Cicco Frank peyol Grace peVol Jerry Fairbanks Paul Franklin. . Samuel GbldWyn James- R. Grainger Steye Haniiagan Russell Holman O. B, Johnston Victor Jory Gertrude Lawrence Albert Lewin A. G; Lyles Gordon MacRae Gene Mann Milton Merlin F. L. Metzler E: H. (Buddy) Morris Frank Mullen Daniel T, O’Shea Buddy Pepper Rhil Regbn Hal Roach Fred Sammis Carl Schrbeder Larry Shayne Sliei la: Stephens Barnard Stratis , ; Robert Taylor Harold Vermilyea Margaret Whiting Jane Wyman Europe to N Yi Marcel Acha^^^^ Jean Birkhahn ; John Borkon Rosalie Grutchley Apipn Doiin Joseph Friedman Ian Hunter . : Peter; Jones pskar /Kail Weis Ei J: Kennedy Alison Xeggatt Alicia MarkbVa A rtur0 . Michelangel i A Ibeit Nightingale Raiil Paray: Bob Tausig; : Mildred Waldman Greta; .Wieseiithdl N. Y. io Europe John ^ Rene Arnaut ^ Joan Blbndell Gerp. Costanzb GhjC; Johnson Joe :Kaufmail Michael Todd