Variety (December 1950)

]|lilSCELLANY Hollywood, pec. 26. Motion picture production re- quires a Avider range of raw mate- rials, manufactured productsj apd. standard and specialized equip- ment than any ot.ier American In- dustrie In addition to these basic needs, more than 250 classifications of specialists and workers in vari- ..ous arts, sciences, skills, trades and handicrafts are employed on per- nument or part-time basis to turn out the 40Q or more features an- nually to supply the market. Requirements cover all types of building and coristruction mate- riaisv household equipment and fur- nishings. fabrics, hard goods, chem- icals; office suppUes, standarid and speeialized , electricai apparatus, specially-designed equipment, bars, trucks, tractors—in fact, virtually every product; manufactured. With such a,diversity of products required, and the constant need for improving techniques and equip- ment—.in addition to adapting new products for usage—the eight ma- jor producing companies of Holly- wood (Coluinbia, RKQ, Universal- Interhational, Metro, Republic, Par- amount, 20th-Fox and Warners) in- corporated the Motion PietUre Re- search Council nearly three years glo F aii c 45 th 0 Par Blue) ect em! musical !■ S ' P ' ago to function as a centralizied | ^ organizatioii for research and de- \ ^ velopment of new materials, proc- i phot esses, and equipment for its con- j phys tributin |. companies. ' oqo tal The organization is an outgrowth i fhe Cu of the Academy Research Council, 1^.^; which was established more than i ^olfoot 20 years ago specifically to probe ' jfy^^of 1 the then-new sound devices and 1 fo,. techniques. Shortly after the start,! ^^d TV the major studios subsidized over- j j,gggj,yg head of the Academy branch, and i jg recently pulled away to set its j own research organization. ! filminc Spending in excess of ,$i0Q>000 j ^.gj^^y annually, its key engineering staff i ghowca of nine covers the divisions of con- j ^vith te struction, physics, standards, elec- Deal trical, design, mechanical, lighting and construction. It also has 200 of gi' v studio engineers and technicians on | on pot its advisory staff; all of whom.are, tables from time to time, called on to ^yhile lend aid in research or develop- among ment programs instituted by the Council. .Council As^ Liaison In addition to its pure research, the Council functions as a liaison between its members and manu- iContinued un page 40) Ex-Ghamp Braddock bkays Film Biog Ex - heavyweight fight champ I |j * James Braddock has approved the | f|g|g] story treatment of his projected biopic by Howard Irving Young, and the property is curi'ently be- ing handled by the Paul Kohner agency in Hollywood. Leo Rights to the property which Hayes will probably be called “The Brad- 1 star h dock Story,*’ are held by producer i picture Richard Czinner. In a the ms ing ou in col( mance be ma cacti c riouslj ment i ( Durante’s Lab Tieup Now it will be “Durante, the Well Groomed Man.’’ Company manufacturing “3 Gut Of 5“ prep- arations for men Gshampoo, hair dressing, scalp cream, after-shave lotion and shaving cream) has been licensed by the NBC-TV comedian to be renamed Jimmy Durante Laboratories, Inc , and will a.dver- tise under the new name after •:^an.'L ^ Durante has been using some of the products for several years. new p. Alt w ture i. March 1. Showbiz OK in Parif Xmas Paris, bee. 26. Despite meager Christmas res- ervations at theatres and niteries. a last-minute onslaught filled all amusement centers. Thousands of Parisians left town. Hovvever, hordes of holiday-bound hinterlanders more than filled the void. ■ 12 27 Order Form Enclosed find check for ' : Please send . *1^0 . • • f• .• • #. • '4' . • • « *• . * ‘ i • ■ . « • 0 A' • A* A A A (Please Print NaniO) Od) • • A A. A A -A A. ^ e A A .A A A A A" A.;A A • A • A’ «. A 'A A . A A.'-A A A - A A A A A A A A' 'ity •' A A A A A A A A A .A A A A A A A A AAA 'Zoll0.< • A. • Rc^ulqr SubscHptioli Rates One Yedr-^$10A00 Two Yeors—$18.00 Coiiado oitd Foreign-^iV Additional per Yeor Pl^niETY 154 West 4«th StrcAf Ihc. New Yorh 19. N. Y. “Sunset Boulevard’’ and “Kintl Hearts and Coronets” tied for sec- ond place, Other awards: Best foreign-language film: “Bi- (lycle Thief;’’ best stage production (non-musical): “Death of a Sales- man;” .best musical: “Lost in the Stars;’’ best stage performance (actor): Thomas Mitchell and Sid- ney Blackmer (tied); worst English- language filni: “Black Rose;” \yorst screen performahee: Hedy Lamarr (actress); worst screen perfprm- arice: Mickey Rooney (actor); worst stage production (non-musical): “Strictly Dishonorable;” worst stage production (musical); “If Please.” .Trpvel Expert Richard Joseph details why there will be 9 OOO Americans on the Larn in ^5T In 0 sort of o lasNfling tourism A * W on interesting editorial feoture in the 45th Anniversary JSiimher of PSHIETY OUT ^EXT WEEK j Armor.” He took Frans Hals’ “A Gay Cavalier” and painted iii the j face of David Belasco. He took another Frans Hals painting, and changed it into John Barrymore as Hamlet, “Blue Bby’VGocs For $25 ilis paipting of Sid Graumah after Gainsborough’s *‘Blue Boy” was presented to Sid many years ago at a banquet iii Sid’s honor, which was held at the Roosevelt hotel in Hollywood. Simeon Gest presented the fantasy. Grauman’s Old mother was distressed by the conceit, but everybody .told her it was all in fun, and in fact was worth lots more than most Of- the things people gave her little son with the big Ideas. Maybe so, but all it brought was $25 at the auction. Like most of Grauman’s treasures, it probably gathered dust in storage. While his mother lived they shared two rooms at the Am* bassadpr hotel, and after her death Sid Gonfined himself to one looitiA He was very ab?ent-nunded. Gertrude Skall, his secretary for 2| years, arid the co-administrator of his estate, once gave him a present—-a beautiful cigaret case. A visitor, caught him unarmed the next day and Sid told Miss Skall, “Quick, fix up that gift on my desk there and give it to this guy.” Then as an afterthought he said, “Take out the card first. It might have; pome from him.’l That Grauman was no bu.sinessrrian is best prbved by the fact that he died without making a will. Sid resolved to do something about it In fact he had made a will but had never signed it. He particularly wanted to take eare. of Geox'ge Oriniston, who had been Belasco’s head carpenter and Grauman’s as well. Ormiston, now 75, had a stroke andf is completely paralyzed, so the kindness Sid intended to pass oh to him Was never consummated. ^ In fact, the same was^true of Gertrude Skall, With Sid’s death she j lost her job at the Chinese theatre and, except for this job as co- ’ administrator, she.would have nothing; As more than 25 persons have claims on the estate, hot to stress a carload of characters claiming to be his relatives, it is* doubtful that ; she AVill be able to buy an annunity out of her services. I R()y J. Goldenberg, the auctioneer, announced he was proudly pre* ^ senting the “momentums/’ He probably had it right the first time. : Certainly beyond that flash of ai'dor the Academy people showed ; regarding Sid’s Oscar, nobody was paying much for a Gi’auman 1 memento.