Variety (December 1950)

Wednesday, December 27, 1950 PICTURES FREEZE SPURS WAGE DEMANDS tniiial step In the plan that Jac- cues Grinieff has outlined to United Artists’ owners for resiisGitation of the company entails obtaining of a fpiTiDorary product soyrce to tide t over until a regular supply of nidures can be obtained. Manna vhich the foreign film financier and exporter hopes to shake loose at once includes eight indie pix al- ready in the can or near it, plus four films from abroad. Most of the eight, it is under- stood, are pix already made for and committed to UA but which their producers have been holding back because of the uncertain con- dition of the company. The -four lingualers, according to Grinieff, are first-rate pix on which he has had his eye and which he is almost certain he can obtain for UA re- lease in the U. S. Clririieff thinks he cah obtain the eight Hollywood pix by providing UA with temporary operating funds and a top exec in whom the pro- ducers and banks would have faith. He would also make known then his permanent plan for reviving UA. Thus the producers would be assured of cf^*:tinu3d operation of the company and would no longer have reason for holding back their product. The foreign film trader has re- fused as yet to reveal who the man is whom he has tentatively lined up to head the company, except to say it Is not James A. Mulvoy. (Continued on page 16) Paramount Surveys Ozoners to Determine Status Following its recent announce- ment that soihe drive-ins will be eligible to license films in groups with a 20% cancellation' privilege, Paramount is now getting under- way with a complete survey of all ozoners to determine their competi- tive status. Major’s group selling policy has been in effect for the past two years, but heretofore cov- ered only conventional houses, numbering over 3,000. Sales chief A. W. Schwalberg has Instructed all branch managers to study the drive-in operations in their areas with the view of listing those which meet the block licens- ing requirements. Par “security service plan,” as it’s called, is de- signed to service only the smaller situations, particularly those in outlying; non-competitive areas. Licensing a group of pix ,at one time to the difficult-to-reach ac- counts means a substantial saving in time and effort for both the dis- trib and the theatre. Kach picture, under the plan, is sold on its individual merits, with no conditioning the sale of one on the licensing of others. However, the overall deal is permitted to cover as many as 17 pix, which are skoddod for release through next spring. , : . Wrlltr-blrRctor Richard Thorpe Wonts to Know ‘Say, Wko^s Writing the Dialog^ Anyway An Amusing Bylino Ploeo In tho 4^th Anniversary Number ■ of P^Rmfr OUT NEXT WEEK in New RKO He’s Evefl Started Burn by distribution chief Grad Sears over resignations from Unit- ed Artists of pub-ad director How- ward LeSieUr and ad manager Francis M. Wlnikus almost result- ed last week in LeSieur’s quitting his Eagle Lion Classics Job before he started. LeSieiir left UA to be- come pub-ad chief of ELC, post which he steps into next Tuesday ( 2 ). ^ He reportedly came close to re- signing the chore because of a re- versal by ELG prez William C. Mac- Millen of a tentative agreement that Winikus would simultaneously be hired as ELC ad manager. Mac- Millen’s about-face is understood to have resulted from a beef from Sears that he was ‘'raiding’’ UA. Previously both LeSieur and Winikus were “fired” by UA three days after LeSieur had already re- sided to take the ELC job. Sears’ burn .started when LeSieur In- formed him he was leaving, and in* tensified when he got the news that Winikus was also going. Sears, feeling the men were un- fairly deserting the UA ship in its greatest crisis, ordered them dis- missed at once rather than await- ing the end of the notice periods they had given UA. Sears also (Continued on page 16) State of hatlonal emergency and the threatened Government edict on a wage freeze have served, to spur film workers’ demands for salary boosts on a variety of fronts. Latest group to join the mass campaign for wage hikes before the curbs are set is made up of personnel at the homeoffices, where union contracts do not ex- pire at least until another year. Appeals are being made to com- pany presidents via an informally elected spokesman at each outfit, with the added-coin requests based on increased cost of living in ad- dition to the impending freeze. Pattern was set at Paramount where employees enlisted ad-pub vicepresident Max Youngstein to represent them in talks with prexy Barney Balaban. Youngstein sub- sequently reported to the group that he made the pitch to Balaban and the latter was holding the mat- ter under. advisement. However, Screen Employees Guild, whose membership includes Par workers, recently was turned down when it made a formal bid to open current contracts with a view toward fat- ter pay envelopes. In view of the rejection of the SEG request, Par h.o. group is not too hopeful that their informal approach through (Continued on page 7) Indonesia Biz Pressure Brings Fox’s U Exit Resignation of Matty Fox from the boards of Universal and United World Films last week resulted from increasing pressure of his In- donesian activities. For the past three years he has served as agent for Indonesian products sold in this country and all purchases here by Indonesia. Since the nation was involved In a war wUh the Dutch during most of that time, Fox’s activity wasn’t too great un- til the Indonesians gained their independence during the past year. As a result, the former U exec hais found it increasingly difficult to give time td the company’s af- fairs. He thus tendered resigna- tions from the boards of both the parent and its 16m subsid, effec- tive Jan. 1. Fox was chairman of the directorate of United World, which he was instrumental in founding. He had previously been a v.p. of U, but stepped put of that post several years ago. Metro DIreetor Commiterotet Xo, the Poor Indian * ♦ ♦ Ono of the Many Byline Feoturef In the 4$th Anniversary Number of • 4 P^RlETf OUT NEXT week Theatre Owners of America’s proposals for voting privileges for each of its regional units on the Council of Motion Picture Organi- zations exec board were regarded this week as primarily, a “feeler” and not likely to he fully pressed by the theatre org as the pnly out- right condition on which it will re-enter the GOMPO fold. Thought widely held in the trade was that TOA would be agreeable to some alternative arrangement, but sent out its voting-power-for-all propo- sitions as a means of determining the attitude of Allied States Assn, and other members of COMPO. Allied especially would figure to raise substantial objections to the TOA plan since there is some vari- ance in the number of affiliates Which each oi the twP national orgs have in the field. TOA pres- ently is comprised of 28 local groups and the figure will climb as other projected units, such as one in Michigan, become organized. Total of 20 regional outfits consti- tutes Allied. While all members o£ COMPO have veto power, and a unanimous vote is required on all board mat- ters, the proposals of TOA still would give it the most impressive (Continued on page 16) 4- Trusteeship of Howard Hughes* stock in the new RKO theatre com- pany may result in a new skirmish with Fioyd Odium, president of Atlas Gorp„ who still contends he holds first refusal rights on pur- chase of the shares and intends to acquire the Hughes holdings “if the price is right.” Impending dispute, however, will 1 have no effect on the skedded re- prgariization of the major and the start of “independent operations by the two new companies on Jan. 2. Final letter to stockholders, notify- ing them of the split and the trans- fers of stock, was sent out over the weekend. Hughes is now called upon to place his theatre shares in trust within 10 days of their is- suance. It was said on the Odium side that the investment firm prexy be- lieves no bonafide offer for the Hughes shares ever was made and, consequently, his option continues in force. When Hughes acquired the 24% interest in RKO from Odium, a stipulation was entered providing Odium with the right to meet any offer for the theatre stock upon reorganization of the I corporation. Hughes claims that a firm bid for the shares had been made by Matty Fox, Cliff Work and Stanley Meyer, and Odium was given the opportunity to match their offer. Having declined to dp so. Odium’s option ceased to exi.st, occording to the Hughes interest^. [ Stock-transfer deal also directed, that C)dlum could buy the theatre stock at a cost of $4,560,000 if, at ^ the time the circuit is separated from the picture company, Hughes did not receive a bonafide offer from any third party. While it was stated flatly that Odium would take the theatre (Continued on page 16) Del Guidice Tryiag OUT NEXT WEEK The 45th Anniversary Number KORDA PIX DISTRIB Morris Helprin, U. S. rep for Sir Aioxancler Korda, is slated to head .lapan next Wednesday (3)* has obtained licenses from vicnoral MacAiihiir’s. headquarters ]”'■ irnportation of seven films into h" territory, and Helprin will 1 aK(' arrangements for their dis- Hit ion through a Tokyo com- Piin.v. . Korda’s product has not pre- viously heen .distributed in Japan. . tliose which will now be in are a number the. British iiiri- ^Hnde in Hollywood as an 11(1)0 heiore the War and which V.., ,‘'Hdled by United Artists, of in ^ part owner. Expected heavily in this batch are ^ and “Thief of Bag- ^Kijji-in will be in Tokyo two to iiiii'o weeks. Of Forms closing shortly Usual Advertising rates prevail Copy and spate reserYations may he sent to any Yanefy office NEW YORK 19 154 W. 46th Sf. HOLLYWOOD 28 6311 Yucca Sn CHICAGO 11 612 N. Michigan Avf. LONDON, W, C. 2 B St, Martin't Ploet Trafalgar Sguara U.S. Distrib of 8 Pix Filippo Del Guidice, who recently arrived in New York from Italy, is attempting to arrange financing for the establishment of a company to prepare for American distribu- tion of eight foreign films on which he holds options. He also brought with him options on 18 European documentaries. Aim of the former J. Arthur Rank producer, now living in Italy, is to put a commentary on the pix rather than subtitle or dub them. He hopes to line up a top-ranking American player to make the track for each of the pix, explaining the action and giving a colloquialized version of the dialog. Del Guidice feels that this method will make the films readily acceptable for circuit hookings, as well as art houses. His plan is not to make a distribution deal for them until the track is on the first couple and he can demonstrate his method to various releasing organi- zations. Among the pix on which Del Guidice holds U. S. options are “Duel With Death,” made in Vien- na by George Pabst; “L’Edera” (The Ivy), made in Italy by a company fully owned by the Italian government, directed by Aiigusto Genina; and “Cuorie Sul Mare” (Hearts Over the Sea), made by the same coiilpariy. POLON, SHERMAN TO BUY FILM FOR NEW RKO eO. Matthew Polon and Robert Sher- man, will handle film buying and booking for the RKO circuit under the new divorcement setup. Both veteran RKO execs, Sher- man has been assigned to the N. Y, metropolitan portion of the chain, including Newark, Trenton and Ne/v' Brunswick, N. J;, and Polon will handle RKO’s 46 out-of-town situations. Appointments were made by Sol A. Schwartz, president of the thea- tre company.