Variety (December 1950)

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Wednesday, December 13, 1950 Wasliington, Dec. 12. Television has 0 pen e d a new market lor the treasure house of music, motion pictures, plays, oocras, and other works adminis- Icu'cd by the Office of Alien Prop- erty. of the Justice Dept., which vested copyrights of enemy and or'cupi ed nations during World II. Although licensing for the neW niedium has hardly begun, indica- lions arc that it will bring thou- F- nds of dollars to OAP. George ]\iiddleton, former president of the L‘ S; Dramatists Guild, and tiow t chhical expert and adviser on the handling of vested, copyrights, points out that radio and films have already been Targe users of the Government-seized material. He believes television will find it er-’iaily useful. :^or example, old motion pic- torcs are proving to he one of.the Ir sic sources of TV programming. Middleton .says GAP has in its P' ssession o v e r 10,000,000 f e e t 0“ films which have been in- s •eeted, recorded, and are aivail- a'-’e for licohsing with some re- s 'Tetidns:. They r e p r e s e n t the p oduct of 764 German^ Italian, J.i innrso and Austrian producers. CuiTcntly GAP is analyzing an- other 17,500,000 feet in the vaults o the Libtary of Gongre.ss! This IViotage was seized, during and a'.'ter the war by the ' Army, State Dept., Gustom.s service and other G overnment a gencies.- Most of it vill also be available for licensing, once it is properly sorted and cata- loged. Films As Source File Thus" far, GAP has granted only one film license exclusively for television. This is for a group of 50 scientific shorts. License was issued to Paul Moss for his Inter- national Telefilm. Deal called for a substantial deposit and, basically, .for a percentage of gross receipts. These pictures have already been shown extensively by video sta- tions. Some of the licenses for the theatrical exploitation of films in- clude television rights. Royalty terms under the TV section of the (Gontinued on page 77) Gypola's Cafe Date Gypsy Rose Lee has been signed for the Desert Inn, Las Vegas, for two weeks, starting Dec. 26. It will, be her only nitery date, inasmuch as sheTl have to return to New York to tape her ABC airer, ‘‘What Makes You Tick.” Deal .was made in New York by Frank Sennes, who books the cafe. Durante, Martin & Lewis s Ability of .Abe Lastfogel and George Wood (William Morris agency) to switch Danny Thomas and Jimmy Durante around has re- solved the Copacabana (N. Y.) booking problem. Thomas is now able to open Jan. .4, thus eliminat- ing an SGS to Durante, as ap- peared almost inevitable. The latter comes in on March 26 for an um interrupted run, insteiud of doing it twice within the wTnter-spring (1951) season. There is still an interval problem, after Tliomas: whether 'Tony Mair- tin or Frankie Laine, or both, will follow, since the latter can be moved forward if Martin can’t get out of other committments. Other- wise Martin, Laine and Durante complete the roster. Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis follow the Schnoz in April to wiud up the season. Meantime a new show, that em- braces the Xmas-New Year’s pe- riod, opens tomorrow (Thurs.) comprising Henny Youngman, Luba Malina, Dr. Giovanni and The Sky- larks. WILL MAHONEY THE rNliyilTABLE ^ . Cigarroa, Ruin and Coca Cola, Rluimbii, i^^amba, Mainba, Sonbritaa, Hotel J^rc'aUlonte, Sloppy Joe’a, Alli- gator Bolts, Siesta and rastraini yianana. Currently' Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey Circus, Havana, Cuba ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORP. Auction Grauman Effects Hollywood, Dec. 12. Souvenirs and personal belong- ings of the late Sid Grauman are I to be auctioned by Roy Goldenberg in four sessions starting Monday (18). , Among effects to be auctioned Ts ‘‘Gsear” presented Grauman tvvo years ago. Catholic War Vets Fight Showings Of Charles Chaplin Fix Entire national organization of Gatholic War Veterans is being prodded into the fight against tele- vision and theatre showings of Gharles Ghaplin films. Moye to enlist the full group’s supiport is being made by Joseph Fehrenback, head of the GWV unit in New Jer- sey,, who already has influenced the i cancellation of a Ghaplin series of i ancient shorts on N. .Y, teevee sta- , tibn WPIX. He also claims to have ' caused discontinuance of ‘‘City; Lights” runs in two N. J, theatres i aind the cancellatidn of the film in . two other spots. Fehrenback, who is advertising , production manager for the Ameri-1 can Bankers Assn., told Variety : he plans to bring.the matter before Donald McQUade, CWV national! commander, with the aim of bring- j ing the national body behind a full- scale Chaplin boycott, implication , is that this could lead to picketing I of theatres showing any of the comedian’s pix, including “Mon-! sieiir Verdoux,” which neyer was : generally released, and “Lights,” I which is going over succes.sfully in the few theatres playing it oh re- ‘ issue. Four Spots which dropped ; “Lights” because of the protests are said to bb the Rialto and May- \ fair, Newark; Temple, Union Gity^ i I and the Park, Cliffside. I Fehrenback’s charge is that, Chaplin ‘‘appears^ g of Com- I munist leanings and that, the comic ; never did anything in the way of j i officially denying these apparent ! sympathies. If his fight is carried j i through, obviously it would, threat-, ■ en plans to reissue numerous other' i comedies starring Chaplin, follow-1 I A ,*250.000 plaRiarism suit by •‘ng the^‘'Lights” distribution pat-j : author Frederick Lundberg against; ' i RKG. Orson Welles and Hei*nian ' against Chaphn, cited the ; Mankicwicz ended in a hung jury : California Un-American .activities i last Friday (81 after setting a cou- j rePOrt ot 1949 wherein the panto-; : pie of records in,U. S. district; Pi'mc “rtistwas I'Stgd with others ; court in New York. Lundberg ' as having^ “followed or appeased . charged that portions of his book, i sdP't Communist party line, “imperial Hearst: A Social Biog-! program over a period of time.” raphy,” were used in the scenario ' ^ ^ I of “Citizen Kane ” , UNFRIENDLY 11 Trial ran 30 days, the longest for .] a plagiarism suit in the history of ' the court. The. jury was out for 26 ho.urs, the longest in the mem- ory of court attendants in any civil BY SUPREME CT. RULE Washington, Dec. 12. The Hollywood“Unfriendly IQ” 12/13 Gilt Subscfiption Enclosed find check or m.p. for $ 1 ... .. Send Variety for one year, two yeari......... i... NAME AD'DRESS CITY . . . . ... . . ZONE . . STATE from] NAME Indicate if gift card desired □ ADDREfS ^ 9m ■ • • t • • • • • • • •'»'«, i • • • * « • f 44 4-4%4s4 ' I . • *. '*'» • 1. '4 E «. '. VTE ..' •. 4 • One Year—$10.00.., .Two Years-*-^$ 18.00 Canada and foreign-^$1 Additional per Year P^iETY Inc, 154 West 46th Street New York 19, N. V. Taction. Final vote was seven in ■ is expected to derive benefit from ! favor of Lundberg and five for the 1 yesterday’s (11) Supreme Gourt defendants. ' decision that a person cannot be Taking advantage of civil suit found guilty of contempt for re- provi.sions in Federal courts, law-i fusing to tell whether he was Tyers had agreed in advance that; ever a communist, providing he ! they’d accept the decision of any j claims the refusal is to prevent ‘ nine jurors. As things stand now, j “self-incrimination.” High court ruling was unanimous. However, it was pointed out here, the Hollywood group found in contempt of the . House Un- American Activities Committee did not claim self-incrimination. The 10 relied on uhe “freedom of speech” amendment to the Con- .stitution. Two of tlie 10—Edward Dmytryk Hollywood, Dec. 12. , and Herbert Biberman—have been Danny Kaye has okayed London i released with time off for good Palladium bid for an eight-week .behavior from their six-month , date starting May 7 to coincide , The other eight are i with centennial festival of Britain. ' still in Federal prison. Palladium had originally pitched On Soviet‘Hinl’ Vienna, Dec. 5/ “Ninotclika” vanished a g aln from its hard-won spot on the Vienna screen when Soviet “sug- gestions” to exhibitors led them to hurriedly yank that ancient Kremlin needier starring Greta Garbo. This came after the Lubitsch film had played some five weeks in two good mid-Vienna houses to bet- ter than 90% capacity despite al- most total lack of newspaper notice. Native dailies thought it best to ignore the pic while; the U.S.-sponsored Wiener Kurier ac- cepted ads and ran only a brief no- tice despite the issue of American cultural prestige involved in show- ing “Nihotschka” against frequent* anti-American releases like “Meet- ing on the Elbe” and “Secret Mis- sion,” Latest move occurred Dec. 1 when Reds assumed chairmanship of the four power City Commanda- tura in their turn. This job, along with policing of the internationally controlled Inner City, rotates monthly among the four powers. Managers of the Elite and Sclidtr ten Kinos, hot h of which were do- ing close to SRO with the Garbo pie, phoned Wolfgang Wolf, local Motion Picture Export Assn, chief to say the Russkis had “suggested’V 4 was time they changed bills. MPEA, reluctant to push the issue, agreed to dropping the film, at least for a month when U.S. steps into city control. This follows original booking difficulties w'hich occurred when “Ninotchka” was first advertised and then withdrawn by a group of exhibs after each of them had re- ceived Gommie threats of riots or bombings if the pic was shown. Actually run of the film produced no incidents whatever. When the Elite booking finally materialized, the U.S. Info Service of the State Department had just about decided to show the picture in the U. S.-operated Kosmos thea- tre either cuffo or with the take for Charity. Possibly the local e.x- hib organization, which is ownid by Socialist Party and the CM\ of Vienna but has close Soviet 1 didn’t want such a precedent Bib- lished on a. potential big money .film. marathon trial will liave to be re- peated. Attorneys for Lundberg, Gustave B. Garfield and Charles (Continued on page 78) DANNY KAYE PACTED FOR PALLADIUM AT 160G for 12-week date. Sylvia Fine (Mrs. Kaye) Will provide comic with some new numbers. Kaye is dickering to take the Jack Cole Dancers with him for I group’s English debut. Cole is Walsh Hops to London For NATKE Jubilee London, Dec. 12. Richard F. Walsh, head of the International Alliance of Thealn i currently choreogi'aphing Kaye’s ; E^PP^y^eSj is flying I 20th starrer, “On the Riviera.” especiallydo participate ; . M, ; : in the Diamond Jubilee Banquet [ At $20,()00 weeklyKaye^will get Qf National Assn, of Theatrical ; l^argest salary ever handed a per- [and Kirie Employees at Grosvenor former in a theatre engagement ot j House next Friday (15). the length of time involved. I Apart from the big array of Acceptance of the Palladium bid i political figures headed by the : puts Sol Hurok’s proposed con- j Prime Minister, Clement J. Atllec, cert tour for Kaye in abeyance, I the Foreign Secretary Ernest Bev- i although there’s a possibility he ; in, and the Chancellor of the Ex- hiay pity these dates next fall. puh'llc iYcturci Frtxy Smartah^eJiy Criticism and Its Effpct fJven on Those Wifhin the Trade ♦.. ★ it an iiifcreififlg •ditorial feature in thM forthcoming 45ih / i nhwe7'S(iry ISu mher P'MilETT chequer Hugh Gaitskell, all the leading figures in the British film and theatrical world have been in- vited. A major cabaret attraction is being produced by Nat Karson, who delayed his return to America in order to handle the show. S ets O^seas Trpupes Washington, Dec. 12. . Lt. Col. Joseph Bangham, of Air Forces Special Services, flew to Hollyw’ood -today (12) to bring back a score of entertainers who leave fdV Europe on the 19th to bring Christmas entertainment to the troops in Europe. While on the Coast, Bangham will also seek volunteers for junkets to other parts of the world. With indicatiohs that our troops j may remain in Korea, he will even seek entertainers for that sectonf V Sam Marx Rack From Paris, Reports Yanks Scurrying Back Homo Sam Marx, ex-Metro producer who starts on his he.w Columbia Pictures pact Jan. I, flew in from a London and Paris vacation yes- i terday (Tues.) and heads for the Coast pronto at prexy Harry Cohn’s request for a “conference.” Marx ' was to have produced Alice Waugh’s “A Handful Of Du.st” independent- ly, when he left Metro, but it’s a question W'hether this will be his first Col as.signment. On Marx’s first-time abroad he discovered much nervousness [ among showfolk, many Of Whom ' are scurrying back this week be- • cause of war jitters. The Leland ! Haywards (Slini Hawks) cut their ' trip short. Norma Shearer and her /husband, Marty Arrouge, after I (Coritinued oh page 77) I Revived OWI Included In Emergency Planning Washington, Dec.. 12, Government’s emergency plan- ning includes a revived Of Ace of War Information, complete with foreign and domestic film and radio units. There has been talk for som® time about a new OWI, but it is understood that secret meetings were held last week at which a green light was given to draw a complete paper plan for such an organization. Question of who will direct and be his top assistants is being given serious thought, but there are no selections yet. Idea is to have everything ready for the time when the President decides to go ahead. One reason price ceilings have not been instituted o far is the hack of machinery for enforcement. The administration does not want to be caught similarly short when it or- ders an information program. >