Variety (May 1950)

W<^neii4ay9 Wtny Wf FICtniBS 4her ihutth ttepjtdatlonV the Opuricil of Motion Picture Otgani- jjatldns i$ now pfficlai; Or It will be as soon as thp State Of New York issues Its charter of incorporation. CoineelVed last August, C,01^01$ officially born nine months later, in'Ghicago, where <the Idea of ah aU-lndustry; public relations body, em- bracing all segmenta from production and' distribution through , exhibition^: ;was::flr$t-pfoJeet^. . ^ It Is hbteworthy that the cautious provisos- advanced by the Theatre ; pyirners of America were summarily; and arbitrarily withdrawn by its s^kesiriah, Gael SulllvahV^lA thb' 0 of the first morning’s session so as not to impede the final organi- sational moye oif COMPo; This was dramatijsed to the deie- gates and their alternates of the 10 constituerit--4npw charter •ir^rgamizatlonSr;. Even more significant was th^^ withdrawal of any backdoor approaches to trade practices, it Was an open secret that Bill Rodgers (Metro) and others feltr-and for that matter still feel^that trade practices, at least of an arbitration nature, might well f^l within the scope and province of COMPOS ; iaiut time enough for that. There is ehoiigh latitude in the bylaws to provide later, by amendment, for other issues. Wisely, the basic bylaws eschew any such ambiguities and in- sure a iwhble-hearted ind unsuspicious insurance for the ex- hibitors, to Whom /‘trade practices” are anathema. It also assures the sundry trade organizations that none of their func- tions will be impaired^ nor autonomy curtailed or modified, in any'degree; Events have inoved fast in nine months between con- ception arid birth of GOMPO. It is regrettable that this weld- ing of the hommori thinking was riot in force to cope with the “i^romboli>' Bergirian-Rossellini idyll, arid some of the not-s6- idle chatter of Senator Johriisdn. But better lati^ than never. For the first time) with a judicious, forward-thinking prpgr spearheaded by Ned bepinet, the motion picture industry has an Instrurrient fbr the cOmmpri weal. Abel. Wallis May Borrow ]Li? Taylor or Gardner Hollywood, May 9. Elizabeth Taylor or Ava Gard- ner, in addition to a tpp; Metro male actor, will do one film for Hal Wallis in return for Burt Lancas- ter’s services in VVehgeahce Val ■ley.” Details are not yet ironed put but likely; Metro femme loans, will be opposite Lancaster in ‘‘Quan- treU's Raiders,’/ which Wallis has slated as his next for paramount release. British film production has got itself down to fundamentals finan- cially and is ready to go forward on ;ia profitable, although limited, basis. Sir Alexander Korda indicated in New York this week. London pro- ducer estimated that more than 60 films would be turned out in Eng- land this year and that they would show a comfortable neti 111 pointing out how rigorou$ly the Britisb industry was husband- itig its finances, Korda disclosed that the highest executive salary in his Lpridon Films-British Lion production-distribution; setup is £4,500 ($12,600) yearly. And only five execs, inciuding Korda himself, get that much, although the outfit has become by far the biggest pro- diictiori-distribution unit in Britain. Most of the directors making films for him get considerably more pay than the £4,500 allowed execs, Korda said. “Otherwise,” .he ex- (Continued on page 18> Hot race to buy control of the Warner Bros.; theatre circuit has been tbuched oiff in Vt^all street by the imperiding; divorcement of the chain from the. distributipti-pro- duction wing of the company. Syn- diCmes are popping Up in all parts of the financial sector, according to reports from the Street, and a number of big investment banking houses are interested in acquiring control of the chain. , Revival of strong interest on the part of the Street follows authori- tative reports that control of the circuit Cap be bought at a greatly** reduced price because of the proposed deb'eriture plan being furthered by the three Warner brother^. By pro-rating deben- tures among stockholders, market price of the stock is expected to be cut. by about 70%. Number of film mdustryites re- port that they , have been ap- proached in the past few days by new Wall street syndicates formed to acquire Warner, control. Re- portedly, the Warner brothers’ ap- proximately 25% interest in the chain will go for somewhere in the rieighborhood of $6,000,()()0V$8,O0D,-. 000. That interest carries with it an effective voting control of the theatres: MeanwhUe, it’s understood that the Warners haye already entered into preliminary discussions with (Continued on page 14) N. Y. Mdqtrii; Chicago, May 9.' Headquarters. for the Gounr cil of Motion Picture Organi- zatioriS, whicb was voted into being here yesterdaiy (Mon- day ), will be . in New York. There had .been thought of es- tablishing g.h.q. in Washing- ton, or possibly Chicago be- cause of fears of “the big city boys taking it oyer.” NeW York won uhanimous apprOvai, however, v after Abram F; Myers, board chair- man of Allied States Exhibitors Assn.—-organization which had expressed principat shyness on the Manhattan noose^admlt- ted that New York was. the Only logical place for COMPO heaidquairters; Sen. Johnson Pushes Pix Bills for Cdngv Record Washington, May 9. Senator Edwin C. Johnson has no plans to push two bills regUr lating the film industry although he Iras thenri in his pocket for . in- troduction in the Gongressio.nal record. .Johnson told the press to- day (Tues.) that he “will probably introduce them for adoption some dayV but is Only interested now in putting them on record. Bills are the same as those propped by himi before his rneeting with top indus- ^tryites.; . One piriposes licensing of pix in interstate commerce. Other would amend anti-trust lawk to permit in-- dustry seif-regulfitlon without the danger of being hit by the Sher- man lawsv Hollywood, May 9. of four pictures to be made during the coming year by King Bros, under new banner will be “The Syndicate,’^ a tale of iiatiOn- Wide criminal organizations. Second on the list will be “CJounterfeit,” to be directed by Boris Ingster from a screenplay by Bert C. Brown 4 ind Milton^Raispn. Rcreds firitisli B.0; Aff Half Tint m;U.S. Possibly reflecting the fact that British television is not as far ad- vaheed as its Yank counterpart, British theatre revenues are hold- ing up much more firmly than the American boxoffice. Receipts of the giant Associated British Cir- cuit are exactly 4% off as of March against last year, D. J. Goodlatte, managing director of the chain, said this week! Goodlatte noted that biz is down 8 % in the , U.S. for the same period, represeriting double the British dip. Currently in the U. S. in a series of huddles with Warner Bros, execs, Goodlatte could not estimate what sort of profit ABC would toss off for the: 12 months. Because of adjustments, he explained, no final figures have been reached on that score. Warners is a part owner of the 375-theatre circuit: Action of ABC, which fpllbws closely on a similar step taken by Metro for its Empire and Ritz the- atres,. West End showcases, may explode in open battle with the CObhtinued on page 14) /In a dramatic move which niay presage a crackdown on the met- ropolitan New York theatre situa-^ tibn, the Government; has asked ma j or company attorney s to f or- I ward information pn booking of films through the Lbew’s* and RKO circuits. Request stems from Philip Marcus, consent decree chief of the • Dept, of Justice. Marcus wants a Hottest deal now cobkirig for ac- quisition of Howard Hughes’ com trbl of the RKO circuit is that of | j. Cheever Cowdin, former Univer- sal board chairman. Gowdin, with the backing of Lehman Bros.* in- vestment banking house, has been; actively negotiating .on the Coast with Lloyd Wright, Hughes’ attor- ney for the past.six weeks. Report- edly, Cowdin is close to a deal on the circuit and may nail it down this week. . / Although the Gowdin deal is near the jelling point, insiders will npt definitely predict a transfer of/the Hughes interest. Several previous, dickefings, including the Stariley Meyer-Matty Fox-Cliff Work nego- ^ tiations of last year, were al$o at the fountain pen stage when allj bets were called off. It is noted Chicago, May 9; With thp: Council of Motion ftc- tiire ! Organizations haying been Officially born here yesterday (Mon-? day), reps of its 10 constituent groups proceeded to pump siiste* nance into it today (Tues.) by ap- proving the plan for a , l/lOtp^ o^ 1 % levy on film rentals starting Sept. 1.; Tpis will provide potential revenue of $60(0,000 annually Ipr the new all-industry public rela-? tions PrgartizatiPn.■ CjiPice of all eXec v.p.—the man who; will sparkplug GOMPO—was talked at length, but left Open for negotiation with the various indl- ; viduals whose names were tossed into the discussion.: Calibre of men/ meritioned made it clear that COMPO's guiding spirits are think-* ing in terms of a top exec at a top salai^ to carry the ball for them. They yoted, in addition, to give him a paid aide, to be knovm aS a coordinator. It is hoped to have! both meni chpseti and working as quickly as posslbie-r-not nebessarily waiting for the Sept. 1 starting V date on dues. - !' Enthusiasrn and good will that marked the sessions at the Drake! ; hotel here contributed to the swift precision with which GOMPO Was formally ^ up, its bylaws ap-. proved, tempprary officers elected and the financing plan okayed. Powwow started yesterday ayem CGontiriued on page 19) complete list from each distrib of [ 7 : 7-7 - wnniri-hP mir- all pix sold to either affiliate; rent. rthat a number of would-be pur al terms on each filfn as well as all other subordinate provisos such as Clearance and run. Government summons for to Metro’s Prod. Surge In Talk to Sales Staff Dore Schary will unwrap a stili greater surge in film-making dur- ing the coming year at the Culver City lot when the Metro produc- tion chief makes A full-scale ad- dress to the company’s sales staff-* ers later this week. M-G topper^ in New York. for several week.s, conceded that Metro is seeking to boost its Volume even further than in the recent . past although the company has already geared pro- (Gontinued on page 16) , chasers thought a. pact was already cleared when they suddenly! learned the reverse. i Meanwhile, Hughes has served i follows .a number of gripes lodged i notice on the New York Federal ■ against the two chains.’ by indie ^ district court that he is. definitely (Cpntiriued on pagelS) ^ (Con tin ued on page 16) Tfade Lag BUmed on Weather ; ‘p’Grady^ To First, with ‘3d Man’ Second, ‘DOzen’ Third \Vashihgtori; May 9- Darryl ZahuCk took down the top doliar among 2()lh-Fox execs last year, receiving a salary of $265,000. according to the corp- pany’s report .filed with the Securi- ties and Exchange Commission. Salaries to all executives. totaled $1,457J39 during the^ y^^^ Other big income toppers were Spyros Skouras. $252,315; Murray Silverstotte, $138,028, and W. C. Michel, $I 18,745. In iaddltion to their salaries, the company paid in to retirement funds for the men as follows: Zanuck, $2,645; Skou- ras, $10,290; Silverstone, $1,^46, and Micheli $3,656. Start of spring weather in many sections of country contrasted With unseasonably cold, rainy days in other keys is putting a big dent in first-runs this stanza. Only the out- standing pictures are making any sort of showing iri key citie.s covered by , Variety. Slump in trade has exhibitors juggling their schedules and switching product, result being a greater number of different films playing than in mariy niohth.s. More than 45 top features are current this round iri some 24 keys; .. “Daughter of Ro.s|e O’Grady” (WB); going against the tide suct cessfuily in most spots where it’s playing, i.s pushing up to No. 1 position. “Third, Man” /^SRO). champ! last .week; is finishing a strong second While “Cheaper By. Dozen'/ (20th), with the boxoffice elite for weeks, fakes over third rung! , ‘■Damned Don’t Cry’;’ (WBl is doing well enough t.O ’capture fourth money, with!“Reformer and Redhead” (M^G) copping fifth. “Wabash Avenue”: (20th) has dropped to sixth from fburth spot, which it held for two weeks ruii- riing.^ “Comahche Territory^ (U ) will land in seventh place, with show- ings this stanza indicating further strength. “Conspirator” (M-G) is eighth and “Outriders” (M-G), ninth. “Ticket to Tomahawk” (2()th). “Stage Fright” (WB) and “Champagne For Caesar” (UA), all a bit spotty, are week!s runner- up pix. Launching of “Annie Get Your Guii” (M-G) in three keys at upped scales is standout' hews of new entries. It is sock in St. Louis, smash in San Francisco and smart in Cleveland.“No Sad SOiigS For Me” (GOl), helped by okay second week at N. ! Y, Music Hall, also iboks to be a promising riewcomer! /‘Rock Island Trail’’ (Rep V, teed off big in Illinois and Iowa spots last week, is aces in Omaha with Sock total. “No Man of Her Own” (Par ) , fine In one spot, shapes mild and fair in two others. “Big Liri” ( 20 th I is mild, light- weight and fair currently..“Wagon- master” t RKO) looms uneven this round. “Fortunes of Gapt. Blood” ,(Col) is okay on initial playdate. ‘'Golden Twenties” (RKO); now in fifth week at N. Y. Astor, is doing fine in Boston, where it’s paired With .stageshow. “Under My Skin” (20th); oke in Philly and; Toronto; looks mild or modest in three other citieSv, ■• “Samson and Delilah” (Par) continues big in Chi. “Sundown- ers” (EL) shapes hefty in Toronto. ”Singirig Guns’’ (R^ Is so-sp in Providerice. Trade Mark -Re^iSitered, FOUNDED BY SIME SILVERMaN Poblished Weekly by VARIETY, liic Sid Siivcnnan, President 154 West 4Sth .St.,: New York 19 . N Y Hollywbod 2t 6311 Yucca Street .. 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