Variety (December 1950)

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^^dneiclaft December 20, 1950 YICTITRBS U. S. OKAYS WB CONSENT DECREE Paramount has. imposed ft signifi-'f cant qualification in making 12 pix available to Phonevision for the 90-day test it will make in Chicago next month. Par gave the pay-as- vnu-gb video system a wide choice of five or six years from which to pick the product it wanted, but insisted that the 12 films must be lifted in a block from the Para- mount release schedule in the same order as they originally appeared. Gdr; Eugene F. McDonald, prexy of Zenith, owners Of the Phone- vision system, has accepted the Par restrictihn. Choice has been made from a group of pix that St art c'd in release about inid-1947. Other companies are allowing Zenilli to select whatever indi- vidual films they desire which were released prior to August, 1948. Par’s stand is that it is giving the films to Phonevision for free, for an experimental run and thus wants a fair test. It feels, there- fore, that Zenith m: t take the bad with the good, as might ordin- arily be expected in buying a pro- gram of product. A test of nothing but top pix chosen from release schedules over a long period of years would prove little, according to Par toppers.. It now appears very likely that the . twice-postponed experiment Phonevision’s 3-a-Day Phonevision will offer its subscribers three shows a day during the three-rilOnth test now slated to begin in Chicago Jan. 1. Pix will be showm at 3:30, 7 and 9 p.m. Different pic will be exhib- ited each show! with the films repeated at varying hours On subsequent days. will get under way Jan. 1. It is understood that Zenith has lined up about 75 of the 90 pix it needs. Metro, Warner Bros, and RKO each is contributing 15. Columbia, Republic and Eagle Lion Classics are also providing some. 20th-Fox and Universal are giv- ing Zenith nothing as yet. Spyros Skouras, 20th prexy, has taken the attitude that the company’s first (Continued on page 20) Theatre TV Proves B.O., Pub Relations Value Via Truman Speech Coverage Theatre television again proved its value as a public service me- dium last Friday night (15), when nine theatres in the east and mid- west carried President Truman’s speech to the nation. At the same time, reports from these houses OLOBETROTTER W. ,A. S, Douglas discoilrsts bn o ' ' ■ . Wilshire Boulevard Aurora Borealis * * * on InferniHn? bylint feature in the 45th Anniversary JSufnber of P^RIETY Out Soon Skouras Income San Francisco, Dec. 19. Attorneys pressing the Samuel Goldwyn monopoly action against Fox West Coast will ask the U. S. district court here for an order compelling Charles P. Skouras to reveal whether he and his two brothers, George and Spyros, pool their incomes from their respec- tive theatre and film company in- terests, The FWC prexy main- tained a steadfast silence, on the advice of his legal reps, when questions on a possible pooled revenue arrangement were put to him by Goldwyn coun$el Joseph Alioto during deposition proceed- ings last week. Prompting Alioto's queries Were Said to be rumors persisting in the trade which closely link the op- erations of the three brothers, and with all adhering to the same busi- ness patterns. Skouras is skedded to resume his testimony at a new hearing here on Jan. 4, but, prior to this, Alioto is expected to seek the court order directing him to make known the facts on the al- leged pool. Obvious Objective of querying by Alioto is to establish that such a Skouras pool, working arrange- ment or division of profits would preclude effective competition be- tween the United Artists Theatres circuit, of which George Skouras is head, and Fox West Coast, of which Charles Skouras is top man. It also was intimated the working arrangement covered the Skouras circuit in N. Y., plus M. A. Naify’s Golden State chain in this area. “SS ,r.K i 7 i? J”! exhibitors pointed out that the radio fireside chats of the late president Roosevelt had cut severe- ly into their grosses. By bringing^ President Truman’s “chat" directly mto their theatres, they also re- tained their customers. Speech furnished Paramount with the first opportunity to bicy- cle a print of the President’s speech from its Broadway Paramount to its Brooklyn Paramount theatre. Broadway house, utilizing Par’s in- termediate film method, carried the speech as it was'picked tip (Continued oh page 16) Ghevalier For H’wood Production Pari$, Dec. 19. Maurice Chevalier has been Pficted by William Wilder for a he will niake next spring in liollywnpd.. It will be a story, with afjout Chevalier’s loves. Director, who came over pri- ii^anly to find out about making some Marshall Plan shorts in Ger- ^^any, left today (’Tues.) for a couple of days in Munich and a yisu to Switzerland befote return- ing to the U. S. in February. concerning the operations of the Frisco Bay Area FWC organization and its affiliates. After two days pX_^quest^hing the Skouras deposi- (Continued on page 16) SET FDR Fan Chicago, Dec, 19. Profits from the Hadacol medi- cine show, which has been touring the country with top talent, are being earmarked for film produc- tion. Louisiana State Sen. Dudley LeBlanc, who spent $200,000 in luring talent to his patent-medicine traveling company, will be heading for the Coast on Jan* 5 with the View of branching out to pix-mak- ing. LeBlanc is said to be figuring on siphoning off excess promts from the jnedicine show. Prexy of the.Hadacol firm, Le- Blanc is set • to rent 600 theatres throughout the country on Christ- mas Day. Holders of Hadacol box- tops will be admitted to showings of Hopalong Cassidy Ulms. Meanwhile, LeBlanc’s reps on the Coast are planning a testi- monial for him. . Warner Bros, this week became the third major film company to reach full agreement with the Gov- ernment on terms for divorcing its theatres from prodiiction-dis- tribution. Representing the final major hurdle to be cleared, ap- proval unofficially was given by the U. S, Treasury Department; which was called upon to rule on the taxar tion aspects of the reorganization. Due within a few days is a for^ mal announcement on the settle- ment, which means WB exit from the antitrust suit filed against the eight principal film firms 12 years ago by the Department of Justice. Latter approved the WB plans for separation several weeks ago. Schedule jiow provides for entry of the consent decree at a hearing on Jan. 4, by the ,U' S. statutory court in N, Y., which heard the trust case, with thi sto be followed by formal ratification by stock- holders at a special meeting to be called in February; N. Y. court set the hearing date yesterday (Tues.) at the request of the Jus- tice Department. Although WB would be permit- ted a full year to effect the theatre split, apparently the company in^ tends to. complete the job by next (Continued on page 20) Trustee Certain for Hughes’ Stock; Clarence Brown is of fho opinion. It Isnh the Old Joke That^s Necessarily Best 0 byline feature in the upcoming 45 th Anniversary IS umber Schafy, Schenck, Gpetz In N.Y. Meet to Talk Production Increase With exhibitors still clamoring for more product, a group of top Metro execs will get together in New York next Week to scout the possibility of boosting the output of the M-G studios. Company is releasing 40 features this year as compared with the 36 distributed in 1949. With the market evident- ly in a position to absorb a greater number of films, M-G may hike its total'to 45 during 1951. Participating in the huddles will be prexy Nicholas M. Schenck and other homeoffice execs; production veepee Dore Schary and Metro’s British production chief, Ben Goetz. Goetz and Schary are both due in N. Y. Saturday (23). Sales veepee William F. Rodgers is slated to leave for his annual Florida va- cation the preceding day, but he'll (Continued on page 16) A unique angle for financing in- die production is being attempted; by Harry Sherniah. Vet producer, j who, originated the “Hopalong Cas- sidy’’ series, is lining up invest- ments in a new^ group of pix by manufacturers and wholesalers j who would get the rights to com -1 mercial products that are corollary to the films. The commercial licensees would actually be prepaying royalties on ; products growing out of the pix. j Whether or not they got their ad- i vances back out of the royalties, j they’d be in the position of second-; nioney investors in the films and would independently profit or lose j (Continued on page 4) Washington, Dec. 19. Stanton Griffis has been ac- cepted as ambassador by the Spanish government. The Paramount biggie resigned as envoy to Argentina last month and went off on a “sabbatical." I At that time Griffis reported to President Truman and was asked to take the Spanish post, Griffis w'ill be first U. S. ambassador to Spain in five years. With the complete collapse of the Harir Brandt deal and only 11 days left before divorcement of the RKO theatre and picture com- panies beconies imperative, it ap^ peared certain this week that How- ard Hughes’ interest in the circuit would be trusteed. Meantime, the group . of Wall Streeters who have been in revolt at Hughes’, mariagemeiit of the company was involved in a series of intricate maneuvers that might have tremendous effect oh the fu- ture of either or both Ihe film or theatre company. The operation is in a temporary lull period, how- ever. pending actual separation of the two divisions and the change of the stock in them from a “when- issued" to regular basis. , Divorcement is required under the anti-trust consent decree by Dec. 31. Actually, the theatre and picture firms will function together as a unit for the last time Dec. 29. All requirements have been ful- filled for separating them and they’ll begin operation. on the new basis Jan.. 2. Stockholders this week will re- ceive a letter informing them that Bankers Trust, N. Y., has been ap- • (Continued on page 16) Moscow Goes to Top With ‘Mr. Deeds,’ But Without Any Payoff “Mr, Deeds Goes to Town," which the Associated Press reported over the weekend is now playing . as an anti-American propaganda piece in Moscow, w'as not sold to the Rus- sians. Prints of the 1936 Colum- bia release were available in many countries of JEurope before and af- ter World War II and could easily have been picked up by the Soviet propaganda-makers. Motion Picture Export Assn., which handles the Russian terri- tory jointly for the American com- panies, has been trying to make a deal with the Russians for a block (Continued on page 19) National Boxoffice Survey Biz Swings Low; ^Solomon* Champ for Fifth Week in Succession; ^Dance/ *2 Weeks^ Next in Line First-run theatres are currently j rounding out the week before Christmas, always one of slowest sessions of the year, and total biz shapes up lower than in recent years for many locations. Reports from Variety correspondents iii some 24 key cities indicated it is a case of the sluggish trend, reported ! prior to pre-Xmas Influence took hold, being accehtuated by the familiar pre-Ytiletide lull. The f^w top films that are doing nice or, big trade are the rare exceptions. For the firth week in a row, “King Solomon’s Mines" (M-G) is retaining its grip on 'fir$t place even though it is 100% holdoyer or extended-run. In the face of slow biz generally/ this opus did not report a single sour session; Second money is going to “Let’s Dance" (Par) for the second suc- cessive stanza while “Two Week^ With Love" (M-G) is edging up to third spot. “Dark City" (Par) will wind up fourth, with “American Guerrilla" (20th) in fifth. “Two Flags West" (20th) is displaying enough to take sixth place while “Highway 301" (WB) and “West Point Story" (WB) round out the top eight list. Outside of the first six pictures, few are showing suf- ficient strength to ordinarily place among the winner. “Kansas Raid- ers*’ (Ui, with steady trade in one key and good takin(,3 in another, and “I’ll Get By" (20th) class as best runnerup entries. Because nearly all exhibitors are waiting until just before Christmas Day to launch their stronger prod- uct, only one new film looms as a potential boxoffice favorite in cur- rent frame. It is “For . Heaven’s, Sake" (20th), which got away to a | solid start at N. Y^ Roxy despite j opening in the rain and having to \ battle the current downbeat. j Of the several reissue combos spotted in an effort to bolster trade at a minimum rental, “Gilda" (Col) paired with “Platinum Bilonde" (Col) is collecting the most sizeable coin. Mild in Chicago, Providence, Minneapolis and Baltimore, this combo shapes nicely in Portland and okay in Toronto. “Pinocchio”* “Make Mine Music," both RKO- Disney pix, - are doing solid trade at N. Y. Criterion, where they are giving this house its best week in a long time. “The Milkman" (U), which opens at N. Y. Mayfair soon, looms big in Portland and okay iii Toronto. “Southside 1-1000" (Mono), while spotty, is checking in with a fair Boston round and is okay in Cleve- land. “High Lonesome" (EL) looks fine in Denver. “Two Lort Worlds" (EL) is rated big in Frisco. (Complete Boxoffice Reports on I Pages 10-11) ' Trade Mark Registered FOUNDED BY SIME SILVERMAN Published Weekly by VARIETY. Inc Harold Erichs. 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