Variety (September 1950)

Wednesday, September 6, 1950 PICTURES BIG EXHIB Hollywood, Sept. -5. > If a yarn proves profitable pic- ture fodder once, there’s ho reason tvliy it shouldn’t do so again. That appears to be a growing credo among Hollywood’s filmmakers on the basis of the flow of remakes recently. When is a remake not a remake is a pertinent question, of course, in this regard. Despite eyebrow- raising similarities', some studios have insisted that a pic bears no re- lationship’'to any forebear. A case in point was 20th-FpX’s “Wabach Avenue,” which most observers in- sisted on coupling with the same studio’s previously-released “Coney Island.” Then again, some films con- sciously start out as remakes, but by the time the scripters get fin- ished writing and rewriting, the similarities have pretty well van- ished. An example here is Bob Hope’s current “Fancy Pants,” Which bears little likeness' except in basic theme to “Ruggles of Red Cap,” from which it has heen lifted. Paramount is by *fat the leader ampng the lots for remakes. It has gone in for them heavily as Hope and Bing Crosby vehicles. Aside from “Fancy Pants,” Hope was in “Sorrowful Jones,” which was an updating of “Little Miss Marker,” And he’s currently making “The Lemon Drop Kid,” which is a re- furbished version of a pic of the same title in 1934; The studio reached back into the files for Crosby yarns in the case of “Riding High,” which had been “Broadway Bill,” and “Connecticut Yankee,” which had been done twice before, once in 1921 and again in 1931. Warner Bros, has a remake in re- lease currently. It’s “Tea*for Two,” which originally hit the screens as “No, No, Nanette.” Latter was the title of the Broadway musical on (Continued on page 16) David 0. Selznick and Sir Alex- ander Korda settled their differ- ences last week under the spur of New York Federal Court Judge Irv- ing Kaufman. Jurist’s demand that ing to Korda approximately £100,- 000 ($280,000) that was in escrow in London and the turning over by Korda’s rep in New York to DOS a print of “Gone to Earth.” Dispute grew out of the arbitra- tion decision a couple months ago of Robert P. Patterson. Judge Kaufman ordered that that de- cision be abided by. That meant acceptance by Selznick of certain papers insuring his western hemi- sphere rights to “Earth,” which he got in a trade from Korda, Selz-^ nick attorneys had objected to the form of some of the documents, and Korda’s counsel has agreed to revise them to give DOS further assurances. Escrow coin was the proceeds of distribution by Korda in England of . Selznick’s “Paradine . Case,” which was traded for “Gone to Earth,” in which Selznick’s wife, Jennifer Jones, is starred, .. March of Time revamped its ex- ecutive setup last week in keeping with its increased! TV activity. Arthur Murphy, Who lias been gen- eral manager of Life mag, was niaide general manager of MOT, change being made to solidify busi- ness activity with industrial ac- counts. Arthur Tourtellbt, associate pro- ducer of MOT, was promoted to director of television production. He was associate producer of “Cru- sade in Europe,” made by MOT for TV, and recently was loaned 40 Life mag to work on its history of the last war. Monogram, which released two of its big-budgeters during the past year through United Artists, will turn no further pix over to other companies for distribution, George D. Burrows, exec v.p..and treasurer/ sdid in New York this week. Mono and its affiliate. Allied Artists, will stick to the moderate-cost category of production and distribute all of their own product in the future, Burrows said. Mono exec added that results of release by UA of “Red Light” and “Gun Crazy” would'determine hoW well his company’s first quarter financial statement would look. Mono’s year begins July 1. Results* of distribution of the two pix so far, he admitted, had been some- what below expectations. Films were* handed to UA because it was felt it could get terms and play- dates more commensurate with their budgets arid values than could either Mono or AA. Burrows, who will return to tljfc Coast next week; is in New York for a fortnight for talks with Guar- anty Trust (of which he was for- merly v.p.). and Bank of Manhat- tan on Mono’s revolving credits. Talks are routine, with no impor- the litigants stop stalling wnsldS last Friday (1) in Selznick releas- a 0,1 r TO AFTER 3 MORE FILMS Hollywood, Sept. 5. Santana Productions, organized about two years ago by Humphrey Bogart and Robert Lord, will be dissolved on completion of three more pictures. To date the com- pany has made four films for Co- lumbia release. Three stories awaiting produc- tion on the Santana schedule are “Sirocco” and “The Secret,” start- ing in November and “Butcher Bird,” to be filmed early in 1951. Comprehensive study of every exhibitor and theatre irt the.U. S., which is to be used in composite form for magazine and newspaper feature stories as part of the indus- try’s public relations job, will be undertaken by the Council of Mo- tion Picture Organizations as soon as the exec board approves the plan. Project is to be handled bl JEarl Hudson of, United, Detroit Jjheatres, who will chairman a sub- committee under Nathan Yamins’ committee on program and plan- ning. Cost of the project, estimat- ed to be $10,000, lias been sub- scribed by an unidentified charter member of COMPO, who will be repaid later by COMPO contribu- tions. In asking the exec board to vote approval of the project as soon as possible, COMPO prez Ned E. De- pin et said the 41 questions which exhibs will be asked to answer will provide the organization with “a wealth of information to use in answering critics of our industry- information which We have never had before because there was no organization to which.it could be safely entrusted.” Majority of questions deal specifically with each theatre’s operating policy,“but there is also a group which asks for specific information on the exhib personally. ; Noting that v “at first blush these may seem to be none of our business,” Depinet empha- sized that the answers will never be used on an individual basis, but that composite answers “will prob- t (Continued on page 9) as Hollywood, Sept! 5. Shakespeare’s “Richard III” will be filmed by a new indie produc- tion unit recently , organized by Richard Whorf and Fred Finkle- hoff e, Current plan is to shoot the picture at The Cloisters in N. Y. r to take advantage of the Gothic architectural background, Film is slated for a spring start, with Whorf starring and splitting the director job with Finklehoffe. (Continued on page 22) PAM BLllENTHAL’S BIG PRODUCTION PLANS A. Pam Blumenthal, board chair- man of Fidelity Pictures, said here yesterday (Tues.) he is well under- way with full : scale independent 00- eration, with four films already completed or near completion and with a program of five per year planned. Blumenthal is in New York from the Coast to talk releasing plans with Universal, which will handle, two that he . has just com Dieted. First is “Woman On the .Biin.” star- ring Ann Sheridan, and Dennis O’Keefe, set for release in mid- October. Next will be “The Groom Wore Sours ” January. release; Operating at Hollywood’s Mo- tion Picture Center, Blumenthal said his future lineup Includes “Mv Wife, the Celebrity.” starring Paul- ette Goddard, .slated to go into production Oct. 1, and “Chuck-o- Luck,” to start rolling at the end of'November. His other past efforts were “Montana Belle,” Jane Rus- sell starrer, for RKO, and “House By River” for Republic. Blumen- ilial said his story properties in- clude “The Life of Helen Morgan” and . “Gentleman From Chicago.” He has a bid in for the Broad- way musical, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” he added.: Blumenthal will be in New York for the remainder of the week, re- turning to the Coast on. Monday. Council of Motion picture Or- ganizations moved several steps closer to active operation this week with the appointment of Robert W. Coyne as principal aide to exec v.p. Arthur Mayer, and the start of dues collections. Coyne will move over to COMPO Sept. 15 from his present exec post with the Ted Gamble theatre chain. He’ll carry the title of special coun-' sel to COMPO. . Post is a full-time one and will: pay $20,000 a year, plus another $5,000 in expenses. Duties will be of general execu- tive nature in the operation of the new all-industry public relations setup, plus considerable speech- making to exhibitors and other groups, and travel for the purposes of promoting grass-roots organiza- tion of COMPO. Also invited to the COMPO fold as special consultant on a part- time basis was William Ainsworth, former president of Allied. The .post of editorial director of COMPO went to Dick Pitts, for- mer film critic for the Charlotte (NC) Observer. Members of COMPO’s exec board, particularly reps of Theatre Owners of America, appeared well-, pleased last week with the prospect of Coyne’s joining up, since his background and experience well.-’ fitted him for the job. Prior to joining Gamble, he *was exec direc- tor of TOA and before that was (Continued oh page 22) “We’ve had discussions, but they’re still very much in the pre- liminary stage,” Leonard Golden- son, United Paramount prexy, said this weelt .regarding the circuit’s forthcoming split of its interest with Karl Hoblitzelle in the Inter- state chain in Texas. UP topper re- fused comment, oh the basis that negotiations to date .have been too vague, on reports that his chain would buy out Hoblitzelle and then employ him on a management con- tract. Goldenson pointed out that un- der the federal court decree in which the split was ordered, the circuit has until March 3,. 1952, to accomplish it Thus, he explained, negotiations have y been going on at a leisurely pace, ' They are expected to perk early next month when the Texas the- atreman comes through New York on his way from his summer cot-, tage on Cape Cod, Deal at that time is anticipated to take on more definite shape. Detailed plan for coordination of all the Government’s film ac- tivities will be discussed in Wash- ington Friday (8) by the Council Of Motion Picture Organization’s Committee on Cooperation with the U. S. Government prior to its meeting: with President Truman. Plan was devised by Art Arthur, of the Motion Picture Industry Council, who will go. to the capital from Hollywood to present it. Arthur’s blueprint, it is under- stood, would obviate various gov- ernment departments and agencies making pictures on similar sub- jects, whether for training or informational purposes; Reported- ly, there was much overlapping of production effort along this line by the Army, Navy, State Dept., etc., during the last war. If the committee feels it' practi- cal, the plan may be mentioned to the President during the group’s confab with him, Otherwise, it may be taken up with a number, of Gov- ernment ^officials who’ll conclave with the 10-man committee before and after the session with Mr. Truman; r There’s a possibility that among those who’ll talk with the group will be Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. Also John W. Snyder, Secretary of the Treasury, who’ll consult on following up the. film industry’s activity on the sale of bonds in World War II, A rep of “Voice of America” is also expected to be on hand f 0 r discussion of films through which the industry may advance the “Voice” program of overseas information, * On another COMPO front, its Committee on Organization will meet in New York today (Wednes- day). Prime purpose; of the session called by chairman Harry Brandt (Continued on page 9) BREYER-LUSTIG IN Perlberg’s 6-Week Yacash ing at Par Flock of writers and technicians associated with the Louis de Roche- mont unit at Columbia are working for Lou Breyer and Emil Lustig on a pic they’re co-producing in Boston. Indie film is “The House on Beacon Hill,” satire of four old ladies who conjure up and pull off a $500,000 robbery similar to that of the Brink’s Express Co. in the Hub. Breyer is an indie exchange op- erator in Boston and Lustig is a New York financier who got the coin together for de Rochemorit’s “Lost Boundaries.” Idea for the yarn was Breyer’s and he put three writers on leave from de Roche- mont on his payroll in Boston to develop it. They are William Col- leran, Martin Plissner and Michael Roemer. Breyer and Lustig are using: a crew put together by de Roche- 1 mont for the filming. They are also said to be . dickering for re- lease with Columbia,:which distrib- utes de Roch?mont product. There’s also, said to be a slight pos- sibility of the pic bearing the de Rochemont label.. ; Budget on the pic, which ifc ber ( ing made in semi-documentary fashion, is about $125,000. Spurred by the business upswing, which has been in - progress gen- erally since July 4, theaitremen are busy with plans for an all : out ef- fort to keep the customers coming. Boxoffice stimulants are promi- nent on the agenda of the. series of RKO Theatres division mana- gers meetings which will begin today (Wed.) at the New York homeoffice, with assistant general manager William W. Howard pre- siding. Home office executives of United Paramount and exhibitor partners in the field similarly will go into a huddle Sept, 26-28 in the Poconos for an exchange of views on means of boosting income, as well os other matters. The feeling being expressed in exhibition circles is tha product has be en improving and bigger business is available. Extra promo- tional push and other customer (Continued on page 22) Hollywood, Sept. 5. The William Perlbergs (Bobbie Brox) are combining a six-week holiday, before the 20th-Fox pro- ducer shifts over to the Paramount lot with his own Perlberg-Seaton (George) Productions, with golfing, football and seeing their son ma- triculate at Stanford. Perlberg, Jr., enters Stanford Sept. 21, his parents remain on for the Stanford-San Jose opening game Sept. 23, and after that they will retire! to their Palm Springs home until mid-October. , Hollywood, Sept; 5. Republic will start seven pic- tures in the next seven weeks, two j in September and five in October. On this month’s sceduie are “Cu- ban Fireball,” starring Estelita; and “Honeychile,” first of the new Judy Canova series. October schedule calls for “The Pride of Maryland,” “Heart of the Rockies,” “Rough Riders of Du- rango,” “Winds of Monterey” and “Million Dollar Manhunt.” TIE WITH ROY ROWLAND Hollywood, Sept. 5. Jack Cummings and Roy Row- land are forming an independent unit, with possi bility of either 20th- Fox or United Artists releasing. New company will be activated when Rowland winds up directing “Excuse My Dust,” Red Skelton starrer, at Metro in a month or so. No slate is set yet, but Cum- mings will produce and Rowland direct in new setup. Understood part financing L coming from Cum- mings- cousin Nathan Cummings, board chairmar of Consolidated Grocers Corp. Chicago. Cummings- nephew of Louis B. Mayer, has been at Metro over 20 years, hav- ing started as an office boy. Row- land, who is married to Cummings' sister has been there 18 years. Dore Schary, Metro production head, requested they stay on, but they want indie status.