Variety (March 1950)

■* A,* m---* • Wednesday, March ft, 1950 ..v\ PICTURES 000,000 J. Cheeyer Cowdin; erstwhile- board* chairman of Universal, and Charles D, Prutzman, U’s former veepee and general counsel, are currently on the prowl for the RKO circuit. Cowdin and Prutz- man are reliably reported trying to piece together a Wall street syn- dicate with ehough coin to swing a deal for the controlling stock in- terest of Howard Hughes, produc- tion chief and dominant stockhold- er of RKO, ; According to one report, Cowdin has fixed his sights at offering Hughes $8 per share for the lat- ter’s interest. Since Hughes holds close to ijOOO,000 shares of RKO stock, Cowdin must raise in the neighborhood Of $8,000,000. It is likely that Hughes would accept an offer in , this amount since it represents a big boost over prices heretofore proffered. Pro- posal of Matty Fox-Stanley Meyers- Cliff Work combine last year was $6, per share. That deal fell through after coming close to the inking stage. . Hughes paid $10 per share when he bought out the Atlas Corp. con- trol to the integrated company. Circuit figured to carry a much higher price than the picture com- pany since it has been a consistent earner. Net take before taxes came to $5,500,000 in 1949 while the studio ended in the red. Cowdin continues with U in an advisory, capacity after resigning late last year. Neat Trick Hakim Bros.; have apparent- ly hit on a new angle for capi- talizing on Broadway stage successes without the neces- sity’ of buying screen rights. They have registered with the Tdotion Picture Assn, of Amer- ica title bureau within the past few. weeks : “The Turn of the Screw’’ arid “The Cherry Or- chard.’* .. “Screw’’ is the hovel by Henry James from which William Archibald adapted the current legit Success, •‘The. Innocents.” “Cherry Orchard” is the Che? khov play on which Joshua Logan has based “The Wis- teria Tree,” Helen Hayes-star- irer which is due in New York soon. Powell & Pressburger To Testify vs. Selznick British producer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Press- burger cross the Atlantic this month in response to an s.o.s. from Sir Alexander Korda, Duo along with Korda will testify be- fore former Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson on hearings slated over the distribution battle being waged between the British film producer and David O. Selz- nick. Korda plans a return to the U. S. the week after next to take up the cudgels over “Gone to Earth” and “The Third Man.” Pressburger and Powell both wrote the script and directed-pro- duced “Earth.” Their testimony on the moot point of whether the film follows the story line laid down in a distribution pact be- tween D.O.S. and Korda is apropos to the tiff; Selznick is also marshalling his witnesses.; Patterson begins getting down to cases tomorrow (Thurs.) behind closed doors in his New York law office. Orie hearing was held last week but it was merely to set up the preliminary tactics of how to handle the dispute. Patterson was named as special master recently by the N. Y. federal court after the / feudists failed to agree on an iri- dustryite as arbitrator, One significant thing about Pat- terson being named as special master instead of arbitrator under (Continued on page 27) There would be no surprise in informed industry circles if the “exploratory talks” on which Eric Johnston and Ellis Arnall will shortly embark in England resulted in consummation of an agreement on renewal of the Ariglo-U. S. films pact. Although the word “exploratory” continues to be used in referring to their London visit, both the Mo- tion Picture Assn, of America prexy and the-Society of Independent Mo- tion Picture Producers topper will be prepared to work out a deal. It undoubtedly would require, how? ever, approval of their constituent ] BroadwaV • Hollywood, March i. Pressing need for an early re- vamping of production-distribution methods is sounded by Y. Prank Freeman, Paramount Studio exec, who sees a $50,000,000 hole be- tween. the cost of production, and the amount of ntoney . being re- turned from the domestic market. In. a speech before the Airierican Society of Cinematographers Mon- day (6) night, Freeman said drily 12 pix out of a total of 146 averag- ing $750,000 last' year actually earned baick more than the cost! of production. •, Citing facts and figures to ring the tocsin for reform, Freeman as- serted ; the total revenue collected by major studios in 1949 dropped to the $400,660,000 level against total revenue of $525,000,000 in 1947. “The cost of producing pic- tures here last year will exceed $250,000,000,” he said. “In order to break even these pictures will have to gross $450,000,000. The difference is not being made up at the moment.” In noting the startling fact that only 12 pix broke the profit ice, Freeman outlined the following breakdown. Of the 146 pix, 29 grossed Only 50% of their cost. An- other 59 grossed only up to 75% of their nut; 33 up to 90%; 13 up to 100%; Six hit between 100% and (Continued on page 22) to Barney B al a b a n, Paramount’s prez, headed south over the week- end to pick up an interrupted winter Vacation. He will stay at. Palm Beach, Fla. for an indefinite period,. Balaban came north last week to attend a special hoard meeting ^ which declared the first quarterly dividend of* the newly divorced company. bodies in the U. S. before final okay. It is understood that Arnall may be accompanied by James A, Mul- vey, prez of Samuel Goldwyn Pro- ductions, who repped SIMPP when the original pact with Harold Wil- son, president of the British Board of Trade, was worked out in March, 1948. Johnston is expected to have with him John G. McCarthy, MPAA’s international division chief, and will have the services of Fayette-v W.. Allport, the Associa- tion’s rep in London. . Reference to the talks as “ex- ploratory” is understood for the purpose of putting the American team in an improved bargaining position. Under the circumstances, this method of~handling the nego- tiations is thought better than send- ing over the special MPAA bargain- ing committee, consisting of John- ston, Nicholas M. Scherick,. Barney (Continued on page 24) Sam , Jr., Joins Guess-Who as Producer Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., a producer and writer for the past four years, today (Wed.) joins Samuel • Gold- wyn Productions, Inc., as a pro- ducer. His first project is “No Time Like the Present.” It goes before the cameras this summer iri Italy, Germany and Hollywood. Young Goldwyn; broke in as an associate producer fOr the Rank organization in England. He was there two years. In 1949 he joined Universal-International in a simi- lar capacity. “No Time” is based upon Goldwyn, Jr.’s, original idea. He’s handling scripting himself iri association with Denver Post scribe Blaine on London, March 7. For the second time Within a few months the British. Board of Film Censors * has warned Holly- wood and British producers that there must be a stop on. films dis- playing violence, cruelty and sadism. This is the expected se- quel to the new wave of violent crime which has been sweeping England. Inevitably motion pic- tures have been blamed for in- fluencing the gangster type of criminal; Philadelphia, March 7. William A. Goldman, Philly cir- cuit operator, is calling off all set- tlement negotiations on his $8,400,- 000 triple-damage suit against the Warner Bros, circuit and the eight; majors. Goldman said this week ■ he will notify the film companies within the next few days that he intends to go to trial at the earli- est opportunity. Case is sched- uled to go to bat March 27 in the Federal district court here. While Goldman would not con- firm nor deny it, a tentative set- ; tlement would have resulted in the : „ , __ , , , , , I acquisition of seven or eight War^! Bob Hope s current date at the j ner nabe houses in Philly by the Paramount, N. Y., will net him j i oca j operator. Under the deal; around $40,000 for each of the two j w hich would have ended all anti- ■ weeks. That s believed to be the j trust litigation by Goldman, he Was : •“°P.sum ever earned by an actot on j to purchase tfiese houses at a re- duced price from Warners. By so (Continued on page 26) Need for ther film industry to “set off its own atomic bomb” in thq entertainment world in order to re- kindle public interest in theatre- going was stressed this week by Robert ,M. Weitman, United Para- mount Theatres v:p. He’s plugging as the first step to fire up enthusi- asm a series of Holly wood star car- avans, similar to those Which toured the country for charitable purposes- and bond-selling during the war. ' Stirred by Variety’s: editorial of last week, “There’s Nothing to Fear but Fear 01 Itself,” which discussed industry attitudes on. television competition, Weitman is hot for a huge and dramatic nationwide cru- sade to create talk and interest in films. * This , must be supplemented by live action on the part of show- men in local areas, he declares. Ho aims to light the way, he, asserted, in Uriited'Paramount’s houses. “There are too many polls and too much analyses on why people aren’t going to pictures any more,” the managing director of Para- hiount’s Broadway flagship de- clared. “We’ve got to turn the em- (Continued on page 60) Hope’s deal calls for him to re- ceive 50% of the Parfs gross take with a guarantee of $100,000 for the tWo-week. stand. Otherwise expressed, it calls for a $50,000 weekly guarantee with an even split on the gross over $200,000 for the two weeks, Blumberg Back East Nate Blumberg, Universal’s prexy, planed in from the Coast j over the weekend after a pro- j tracted stay at the studio. . Blum- ■ Out of that the comic has to | berg came east to participate in the j pay for the show, on which he has | company’s stockholder meet slated a minimum Weekly nut of. $18,500,; for today (Wed.). ‘ plus transportation, overtime and i Joseph H. Seidelman, U’s foreign some other expenses. He is giving , dept, chief, is due back, at the end Jane Russell $10,000 weekly, Les j of next week from a Florida vac a-; (Continued on page 24) ' tion. Thru the Nose to Clear All Rights to ‘Cyrano’? Last hurdle to production of “Cyrano de Bergerac” was cleared by Stanley Kramer in New: York last week with the purchase of the Brian Hooker translation of the Ed- mond Rostand classic. Kramer con- tracted to pay $40,000 in .cash and deferments to Walter Hampden and Hooker’s widow for the screen rights.; Indie producer will be back on the Coast in about two weeks to begin final work on the screenplay with writer Carl Foreman and di- rector Michael Gordon. Gordon is (Continued on page 24) Coal Peace Cheers Keys; ‘Cinderella' Cops First . Place, ‘Samson' Second, ‘12 O'Clock’ Third Business in key cities this ses-! Runer-up films, in order of Sion continues sluggish, but end of strength, are “Third Mari” (SRO), coal strike and more moderate I “Sands Iwo Jima” (Rep), “Malaya” weather in numerous keys is be-! (M-G), “Chain Lightning” (WB) : ginning to be reflected in a smart' and “Red Shoes”. (EL), pickup in boxpffice takings. Return ; “Johnny Holiday” dJA), given ■ of miners to pits meant end of terfific campaign xn lridianapolis, ; brownout in N. ,Y. and revived in- {is making a socko showing on tee- terest in theatres in other keys. : off. there. “Mother Didn’t Tell “Cinderella” (RKO), which was,.: Me” . (20th),. another newcomer, is . pushing up ‘ near top last week,' spotty , being, nice in two cities but soared to No. 1 position with trade , riot so promising in ■ three others. v sock to terrific on most dates. Walt “Paid in Full” (Par) is ^ated neat Disney opUs is surprising 'by its , in Philly but only okay in Buffalo., sturdy night trade. Second place “Gre'at. RupOrt” . (EL) shapes is being takeri by '“SamsOri arid smart iri St. Louis, “Love Happy” TSAlilnK^ . /Da«V " nlfnrt Kajnrt.. in 1 ' f An 1 YTTA Y. \^]l-ich bG6Il -*CUjt • OU tCSt •'• Trade Mark Registered FOUNDED BY SIME SILVERMAN Published Weekly by VARIETY, Inc Sid Silverman, President. 154 West 46th St., New York IS, N. Y Hollywood 28 6311 Yucca Street Washington 4 1292 National Press Building • Chicago 1 360 No. Michigan Ave. London WC2. 8 St. Martin’s PI., Trafalgar Sq. Delilah” (Par), after being in top : (UA), groove for five Successive weeks. dates previously, looks big in Fact that it is extended-run in ; Philly, “Nancy Goes to Rio” (M-G i, nearly all situations this round and ; with vaude, is sturdy in Washing- being pared somewhat by the of-j ton. fish tone in some keys is hurting. ; “All King’s: Men” (Col) looms The Board gif Film Censors say! Third coin goes to “12 O’clock strong in Louisville , and fine in they meari business. Secretary of i High” (20th), up from seventh a; Wash. “Sundowners” (EL), light the BBFC, A. T. L. Watkins; ex- ! week ago. | in Omaha, is doing okay in Boston, plained that they.had already told ! “Francis” (U) is capturing fourth “Pinky” (20th) shapes great in producers that scenes of torture, ; place although being, launched in Sb Louis.^ "Woman in Hiding” heatings and cruelty must be cut j only one new key this week. ‘Young (U) is oke in Pittsburgh. “Heiress” out and now they felt they had had ! Man With Horn” (WB) will finish ; (Pan looks solid in Chi; enough of screen brutality. (Par) looks solid in. Chi. in fifth position, being nice to ro- i “Fallen Idol” (SRO), fair in De- DiC Clifford Allen, noted Harley I bust in a majority of dates. “Key i troit, continues nice in N. Y. Street psychiatrist, in a letter to : to City” (M-G) is taking sixth spot j “Capt. China” (Pan, which soared the British Medical Journal, con-! while “The Outlaw” (RKO) will be to new high at N. Y. Par with Bob tends that the prevailing diet of | seventh. ^ Hope and his show onstage, is only sadism on the films is causing' “Willie Comes Home” (20th) and light in Philly. | young people to grow up with a “Dear Wife” (Par) round out the < (Complete Roxoffice Reports 1 1 (Continued oft page 18) | Big Nine list in that sequence. 'on Papes 10-11 > INDEX ' BTfrr^rrrr. Chatter. Filni Reviews . ... House Reviews inside Legit Inside Music Inside Pictures Inside Radio Inside Television International Legitimate ; Literati Music ’ ..... NeW ActS . : .> Night Club Reviews Obituaries Pictures .. . . .... Radio .... , .;..,. Radio Reviews Records Frank Scully ..... Television . Television Reviews. . Vaudeville. »*«••••»• vr.. 54 .... 62 .... 6 55 . 56 49 .. .V 22 : 36 ..... 35 14 56 61 41 54 50 63 3 28 30 42 61 32 34 50 i .• * • • 9 * * * *.* DAILY VARIETY (Published in Hollywood by Dally Variety, Ltd.) $15 a Year—$20 Foreign