Variety (April 1950)

Wedheadlayt Apiil l^Stl Qnce again showmen are being • enlisted by our poyernment 4 n cottnectipn ^ w annual U. S. Savings Bond drive, drice again it Will evidence the responsibility of showmen in their local communities in relation to the broader panorama df a civic and patriotic That this is a great privilege as well as a great responslbiilty goes ;Withdut saying. It comes at a time when/ is a chance to dramatize the Plpse tie between theatreowner : and his cbmmunlty. This may be a golden opportunity for the theatres to get closer to their customers with an eye to a possi-- bly beneficial conclusion as regards the state of the bOxoffice. Arid they deserve something out of lib, They haWe long been unselfish In undertakings of;this nature. • i This has nothing to do with what influence this liaison wiU have bn kayoing the 20% amusement taxes; or getting an idea of what is in storer tax-wise/on the local level. This should bev bypassed In favor of pulse-feelihg: and ear-groiiriding^direct front the customer’s \m what’s wrong with the b.o.. perhaps the U. S. Bond sales: themselves may be ah answer, in part; for if the theatres’ audiences are reduced^ that many less people are exposed to the salesmahship and virtue^s of buying Government bonds. This intimate relatiphship between customers (whether for bonds or bbxofflce) and the theatres’, staffs may weil result in some Vivid, conciusions on the state of the nation iii more Ways than one. There is ho question about the great responsibility given show business to do its share—as alWays--in furthering a Goyernmehtai project. That job Will be done, And if history is any barometer it will be well done; by all and sundry in show business. But here is an opportunity to do somb peftinerit pulse- feeling for ourselves, for a change. Abel. Removal of residential rent eon-'f trols has had far more effect than TV on film boxbffices, a study by one of the major distribs has dis- closed. Trying to put its statistical finger on the reason for the soft- ness of film grosses during the past year, company has discovered ai close correlation between declines in theatre income and the lifting of rent curbs in certain key cities. ^ Same company, which prefers not to be identified since its studies' were made by its statistical departr ment for its own use, said that its surveys show key city grosses off as much as 25% to 30% from a year ago, but that smaller, towns were down only about 5%, Reason for this big differential isn’t wholly clear. It is believed, however, to reflect lower admission ^ prices, lower cost of living, which j leaves more income for. amuse- ments and less pressure from com- peting forms of entertainment. In the meantime, Paramount, like most other majors, also has had Its pencil-wielders at work in an effort to find a correlation be- tween TV areas and twxoffice de- clines. Distrib’s effpfts follow a similar survey made by another company, as reported in Variety two weeks ago. Par drew the same' blank as the other rtia j or, Wh ile neither doubts (Continued on page 24) Oh Again, Off Again Ivan Louis Kanturek, Motion Picture Assn, of America rep, Will attempt to tevive the dormant negotiations, to sell Amencan films to the Rus- sians. Understood Soviets have renewed request to see additional product. ‘ MPAA official will meet Rus- sians in Moscow in May. He Will take 25 new films from a list now in preparation. Russians have al- ready looked over sojne 200, out of which they say they can’t find 2() satisfactory ones. Boldest ’ifibst extensive plain yet devised fpr^ piost of i the finaiicing probi^mS bfWeputable In- die producer^ ih' one iell swoop is being, talked with several major New York financial institutions by Ellis G. Afnall, prez of the Society of: Independent Motion Incture producersy'.;' Reps oi the money outfits Will accompany Arhall to thTe Coast at the end of this month to lay the idea; before the producers. Ses- sion first .Will be held with niem-: hers of SIMPP and. the foUpWihg day with any indies who Want to attend, whether affiliated With the Arnall association dr not. ; Plan is far from a reality, with many major details y^ to be Worked outi It is known, however, to contemplate the setting up of a (Continued on page 22) Brevity's Virtue Mahchesteri N. H., 4, The ediidrial published by the Morning Union here oh . the Oscar aWards simply read: ^“Let Hollywood care less about Oscar wihnirt’, : “And concentrate more pii cuttin’, out sinninV! IN 4 fix TO Walter Wanger^^h^ sold his in- terest in four films released through Universal to Jacques Grin- ieff for a sum equivalent to just unr der $300,000. Heaviest portion of the eoin is being paid, the produc- er in dollars, with the rest going to him in several foreign curreh- ' cies. - The four films, ail released be- tween 1942 and 1945, are . ‘‘Arabian Nights,” “Eagle Squadron,” ‘^Sa- lome, Where She Danced” and “Gung Ho.” They were inade by Wanger with coin provided by tf under a plan: where the producer and the studio each owned a 50% Interest. Grinieff's firm, Trains World Films, has acquired Wainger’s 50% owhership of the negatives. U will retain its share and continue han- dling the plx for reissue, foreign; television, Ifim, and any other auxr iliary source.S'bf coin. Wanger is understood planning to use the Grihieff foreign coin for production. Over the past few years he has sold outright his in- terest -in virtually all of his films, Twentieth-Fox may boost its pro- duction even more than the 30 fea- tures originally set as the goal this year. Prez Spyros P. Skouras flew to the Coast Sunday (2). for a Series of huddles, with production veepee Darryl F. Zanuck and. other studio execs to determine the pos- sihility of raising the total to 36, which would represent an increase of 12 over the 24 turned out dur- ing 1949. SkoUras reportedly decided pn the need for more top feature prod- uct because of the steadily dimin- ishing number of features that are able to hold out; for two Weeks or longer , in the key city first ruris. Situation is gradually reaching the stage, according to c o m p a n y (Continued on page 24) 2 fifltDWYN PIX TO PREEM SIDE BT Unique booking how being set will see two Samuel Goldwyn pro- ductions preeihing side-by-side bn Broadway at. the end of July. They will go into the *Astpr and Vic- toria simultaneously. Times Square houses, are next door to each other and both are owned by City In- vesting Cp. Goldwyn formerly leased the Astor. . Pix are “Our Very Own,” with Ann Blythe. Farley Granger, Jane Wyatt and Joan EyRns, and “Edge of Doom,” with Dana AndreWs, Fariftv Granger, Joan Eyans and Paul " Stewart. It is believed “Doom” will go into the Astor, which has 1 300 seats, and “Own” into the Vitv which has 1,100. Formal appeal to the U. S. Su- preme Court from the Government anti-trUst . de-cree , requiring di- vbrcemeht of its theatres was filed yesterday (Tues.) by Metro in the New York Federal district court. Included with the. appeal is a list- ing of 80 counts ifi which Metro claims the decree to be in error. Company must still get petmiss'ion from the high court before it can have its case heard, Metro is the first major to take the step. It is expected that bo^’i .20th-Fox and Warner Bros. Wtil also ask to be heard although neither major, may push its appeal if settlement talks are successful. Metro, however, intends following through in its second appeal to the High Court, In its statement, of jurisdiction, accompanying the notice of appeal, Metro asks to be considered apart from the other majors. It claims the ,lower court erred in not treat- ing it so. An integrated company such as Paramount, before divorce- ment of its 1,395 houses, Metro declares* “would have far greater power In dealing with competitors both on the exhibition and distribu- tion leVel, than a company such as Loew’s, operating less than l/lOth that number of theatres (131 the- (COntinued on page 26) Washington, Aptil 4. Current attempts by indie pro- ducers to solve . their financing woes via. the Reconitruction Fin- ance Coi-p. are viewed by insiders here as certain to fail. RFC is frightened tp death of the idea of angeling filmmaking because of the potential propaganda power of the medium. Nevertheless, a strong effort to interest t h e Government loan agency is being made by former Georgia Governor Ellis G. Aniall, prez of tile Spciety of Independent Motion Picture Producers. He hud- dled last week with Harley Hise, RFC^ board chairman, and Chaun- cey Y. Dodds, loan director. He’s to haive another session with of- ficers of. the agency next. week. RFC directors shudder at the thought of what they might be dragged through on Capitol Hill (Continued on page 24) • Financial plan which Would call for the ' issuance of $56,000,000 in longterm debentures to Warner Bros; stbckholders as part of the splitup of the major into produc- tion-distribution and theatre com- panies is reliably: reported under consideration by Harry, Jack and Ma j or Albert Warner. The deben- turesi in addition to theatre stock, would be prprrated to all Warner stpckholders who would also re- ceive proportionate stock certifi- cates in the studio company. If such a plan is finally adopted, it would be aimed mainly toward easing the almost prohibitive hur- dle which now blPcks the efforts of the Warner trio to sell their coh- trpUirig stpck interest in the Warr ner theatre circuit. It may require the approval by the Government during the current anti-trust settle- ment talks, although some insiders believe that the plan could be ef- fected without a specifie greenlight from Tlib Dept; of Justice, The plan is simple hut ingenious in its effects. Since the three War- ners own approximately 1,000,0^ shares of common, their, cpnti’ol of the theatre chain: has been valued in the neighborhood of $20,000,009. A number of deals fpr sale of this (Continued on page 26) LB. Chicagp, April 4. Television will never drive films into the background, Louis B. May- er, Metro head, declared here yes- terday ($). He was en route to New Yprk. He said that video has a long way to go before it can become a threat to films. But when the threat comes, he added, the filni industry will know how to meet it. IViayer, Schenk Huddle j Before returning to His desk, April IT. Nicholas M. Schenck, Metro’s prez, will huddle in Miami Beach, with Louis B. Mayer, coni- iContinued on page 22) DEPINET BACK. COMPO MEET SEATED FDR 0.a RKO prexy Ned F- Depinet re- turned to his desk in New York Monday . ( 3) , following about a month at the studio and vacation- ing in Phoenix. With his return, action is expected this week in set- ting a date for the next session of the Council of Motion Picture. Or- ganizations. COMPO meeting was antici- pated for early March, but has been held up by delays in ratifica- tion of plans by the constituent groups; Suggestion is under con- sideration for holding the meeting in Washington week after hext, when Senator Edwin C; Johnson of Goloradp holds hearings dh his bill for Federal licensing of film in- dustry workers and corporations. Pre-Easter Bops Trade; ^Cinderella’ Baclc in First With Trancis’ Second; ‘Barricade’ Ups to 3d Sprihglike weather and Holy i We*(Bk are putting the skids under while “King’s Men” (Col) is sev- enth. business ffenerallv in kev cities i “East Side” (M-G), “Key to business generally in Key ciiieS j^^y,, Goes to covered by Variety this week; A i Hio” (M-G) round out the Big 10 few spots are being favored by the fact that current session takes in list in that sequence. Runnerup fi 1 ms are “Tight Little rsland’V Easter Sunday while some are be- J (U*, ‘‘Foolish Ileart’’ (RKO) and ing helped by juvenile attendance. ] ‘‘12 OUlbck High” .(20th) in that Blit in many others, exhibitors are I.order. • merely marking, time With filLin ! With trade . so. generally slow. product, reissues and dualing, op;- ening top pix for Easter .upbeat. new pix undoubtedly .are not meas- uring up to their full Potential this To take advantage of kids being “esiiion. However. “Daughter ; of out of .schbol soon for their Easter | Rosie O’Grady” CWB' and “Cheapo vacation, RKO is currehtly launch- • cr■ by Dozen” (20th • fared so ing “(Cinderella” ,, in more than I strongly that both seem , assured of seven keys Covered by Variety, j future prosperity. Same is true to This plus ektended-run dates will i le.sser degree of “Wabash Avenue” push the Walt Disney cartoon into (20th). Which is big in Chicago first spot, being tops in three cities , wit/i stage, layout and great in and uniformly good to .srtiash; Ap-. -Philadelphia. pears likely to go over $235,000 “Under; My Skin” (20th) is doing this frame, far outdistancing its little better in K, C^, Cincy and closest competitors bn week. i L/ A. than . in N. Y; Also new, “Francis” (U), leader for last “Capt..Carey. U.S.A.” (Par) shape.S twb weeks in succession, is drop-; up disappointingly on initial play- ping batk to second. Coniedv is ’ date; “Cargo to Capetown” (GpD, nearly 100% holdover or extended run. “Barricade” (WB), so far a With Broderick Crawford, Oscar winner, Ls good in N. Y, and nice bit spotty, shows enough to cop ; in Toronto third while “Conspirator” IM-G) is Winding; up fourth. Stage Fright” (WB) loprns good, in L, A. “South- Sea Sinner” (U) Third Man” (SAO) is pushing i is doing okay in Montreal. ’‘Dear up to fifth spot, surmounting cur- ! Wife” (Par) is nice in same city, rent offish trend; ‘^Perfect Strang-i (Gpnrplete Bo.toffipe Reports on ers” (WB) is landing sixth money i Pages 10*11) Trade Mark. Regist^ed FOUNDED BY SIME SILVERMAN PMbUshed Weekly by VARIETY. Inc Sid Silverman,: President # 154 West 40th .St., New York 19. N V Hollywood 39 : 6311 Yucca Street, Washington 4 1292 National Press Building Chicago 1 360 No. Michigan Avo. London WC3 8 St. Martin's PL, Trafalgar Sg SUBSCRIPTION Film Reviews . .House Reviews Inside .Legit . 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