Variety (January 1951)

FILMS RADIO VIDEO MUSIC 1 STAOE VOL. 181 No. 4 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1951 PRICE 25 CENTS TOP MONEY FIX AND STARS OF How Ethel Barrymore, 26, Interviewed Ashton Stevens, 33 Chicago, -f Variety i' 45 years old today. So what could be timelier for this Anniversary Number than the following interview with the lad who is now called the Dean of American dramatic critics — just as it was written for the San Francisco Examiner 45 years ago by the unassisted lovely girl who is now the first of American actresses. Not a line has been altered for this revival. ASHTON STEVENS. Bv ETHEL B.\RRYMORE Having been interviewed several times since I first entered the “powder puff life” (See Ashton Stevens’ Collected Works), I have suddenly come to the conclusion that the time of revenge is at hand. To avoid informing the gasping public for the 4 , 0 L 0 t h time that I simply love my Art; was p r a c t i c ally „ born on the Ethel Barrymore my relatives really are my relatives; that my favorite role is the part I am at present playing (hoping that the said public will flock at once, and not live on the favorite role I spoke of last year, nor await the favorite role I shall portray next year), I, wishing ':o avoid all this, think that I shall turn the tables and interview an interviewer (Continued on page 59) ^Outlaw’s’ Big Payoff Not to be lost sight of among the high-grossers of 1950 is the strange case of “The Outlaw.” The Howard Hughes film, made before the war and originally released by United Artists in 1946, moved up under RKO distribut’on during the past year into the class of the first 20 all-time b.o. lead 0J7S, ’^t grossed $3,050,000 via UA and then took another $1,960,000 in rentals out of U. S. and Canada in 6,500 engagements during 1950. That gives it a total domestic gross expectation of about $5,075,000. Final Severance Of U.S.-Red China Picture Relations q iir 1 11 mm u N • 1 ] Les Craps Very Popular At Monte Carlo Casino With the Management By JOSEF ISRAELS II Monte Carlo. The Society of the Strangers and of the Baths of the Sea — that’s the formal moniker (no kidding) of the Monte Carlo Casino — is well satisfied with results of “Les Craps,” the genuine Las Vegas type of galloping dominoes installed more than a year ago in the ancient, dingy halls of what’s still the world’s most ambitious gambling enterprise. Dice tables under direction of multi-lingual croupiers Pierre Bissi and Emile Jaufret, who journeyed to Yankeeland to learn the patter, do a modest but steady biz and most of all, serve to make U.S. chumps who are uneducated to the nuances of roulette and baccarat feel at home and maybe eventually wander to other tables, where they can be taken for more than the current 20,000 franc ($58) limit of the craps table. Management admits many Yanks squawk they can’t really get warmed to action under such wraps. But directors describe their view of the dice as “still very conservative,” and want some long term experience with play-and(Continued on page 67) Edict of China’s Red government calling for seizure of American-owned property and freezing of bank deposits served as the final and complete severance of contact between .U. S. film firms and their native representatives and physical assets in China. Actually the China market has been regarded as a loss for some time, for the most part. However, the distressing aspect of the situation is that the American producers have hundreds of prints in that country, prints which the Americans probably would prefer to destroy rather than have them in the hands of the Communists. Although there is no contact I with homeoffices in N. Y., it’s understood local Chinese staffs, which had been in the employ of the U. S. film companies, are continuing to operate on their own. They’re in possession of the prints and free to license them to any (Continued on page 265) Lester Santly Sells Out To Geo. Joy for 250G Lester Santly, co-founder of the firm bearing his name, last week sold his 50Co ownership. in SantlyJoy Music to his partner, George Joy, for $250,000. Leaving the pubbery on friendly terms, Santly is retiring from the music business for an indefinite period. Joy also takes over lOO'^n in the subsidiary Oxford Music Corp. Santly organized the firm of Santly Bros, with his .brothers Joe and the late Henry Santly 21 years ago. Joy joined the company in 1934 as an equal partner. Santly, currently president of the Music Publishers Protective Assn, and a board member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, is also resigning both of these posts. By HERB GOLDEN “Samson and Delilah” proved an easy winner as top-grosser of the year in the 1950 film boxoffice sweepstakes. Far behind the Paramount spec, but nevertheless turning in very respectable figures, were “Battleground” and “King Solomon’s Mines,” both from Metro, and “Cheaper By the Dozen” (20th), in that order. Cecil B. DeMille’s Technicolored giant, with at least $11,000,000 eventually likely in U. S. and Canadian rentals, not only was topgrosser of all films released during the past year, but took its place behind only “Birth Of a Nation” and “Gone With the Wind” as the greatest revenue-producer in the entire history of the industry. It shouldered 1947’s “Best Years Of Our Lives” and “Duel In the Sun” from the runner-up positions. “Battleground” will have rung up $4,550,000 in rentals by the time the final tally is in, to take the second spot among 1950 releases. Other of the year’s pix that gained entry into the over-$4,000,000 category— that select Golden Circle — were “King Solomon’s Mines” with $4,400,000; “Cheaper By the Dozen,” $4,325,000; Metro’s “Annie Get Your Gun,” $4,200,000; Walt Disney’s “Cinderella” (RKO), $4,150,000, and Metro’s “Father Of the Bride,” $4,150,000. All the figures are expert projections, based on engagements played by the films to the end of the year and what may be expected in “domestic gross.” In trade parlance that means film rentals received by the distribs from the U. S. and Canada. James Stewart with four pictures that grabbed a total of $9,225,000 and Spencer Tracy with three garnering $8,800,000 made the greatest definable contributions of the male stars to the b.o. during the year. Betty Hutton leads the femme contingent with two pix that took a total of $6,600,000. Victor Mature, George Sanders and Hedy Lamarr all rolled up bigger figures than those above, but their bulk was from “Samson.” As in the past, the contribution of stars to any film’s success was almost impossible to figure. Despite the varied popularity polls of trade and public, many formerly wellrated marquee luminaries failed to .show b.o. strength, Variety’s annual roundup of top-grossing pix of the year reveals. It takes a good script and a complex of other factors aside from a star to get results. (See separate story.) Top-money directors of the year among those who were rateable on the basis of more than a single pic (Continued on page 58) ’SO End of Era for Stars and System; Swanson Cues Comeback Potentials Minimum Contractees Hollywood. Year-end survey shows term contracts in the studios at their lowest point in 25 years. Actors, writers, directors, producers and backlot department heads are the hardest hit. Last actor survey, as of March 1, showed 315 under contract as against 750 in 1947. Contract writers as of November are down to 50 out of an active Screen Writers Guild membership of 644. Eighty of 280 Screen Directors Guild members are termers, 20 of whom have one picture deals. About lO of the 80 combo producer-directors or writer-directors and virtually all assistant directors are on a weekly basis. Bagnall Would Be UA Prez Via Grinieff Setup George Bagnall, former United Artists vicepresident and production liaison, would return to the company as management head under the proposals outlined by Jacques Grinieff for bringing UA through its present crisis. Plan was reported in N. Y. this week following Grinieff’s departure for the Coast, presumably for huddles with Bagnall and attorneys for UA co-owners Mary Pickford and Charles Chaplin. Grinieff was due in Hollywood yesterday (Tues.) following a Chicago stopover. Grinieff’s aim is to get 12 new films into virtually immediate release by UA and in this way ease the economic pressure currently being caused by lack of product. Additionally, he would arrange for some operating coin. Third part of his plan is to place (Continued on page 265) The year 1950 was clearly one of decision for many a Hollywood name — and, as a matter of fact, for the star system as a whole. Tolling of the bell for many middle-aged players whose names have been synonymous with the best b.o. of all times is clearly echoed in .an analysis of the films in Variety’s current list of topgrossers of the year — and, even more importantly, the films that failed to make the list. A handful of old-line stalwarts are still well-represented on the list (printed herewith), but a good many are off oi it altogether or perilously close to the bottom. On the other hand, there are a few new names, but none of them that rings with the erstwhile power of the Cary Grants and Gary Coopers and Joan Crawfords. For the star system as a whole, 1950 marked the end of an era. Dependence on stellar names as b.o. insurance, on the downgrade since the end of war, reached its lowest ebb. The discouragement of producers, distribs and exhibs over failure of many of the stars to sell tickets, was clearly giving way, as was indicated in Variety’s lead story last week, to recognition that new star development is vital to the business. At year’s end most studios were hammering with a new determination at the problem of creating fresh faces with real name value. This time the determination was coupled with recognition that a (Continued on page 59) Early Deadline This edition of Variety went to press ahead of the normal Tuesday deadline. Production detail, binding, etc., and the size of this 45th Anniversary Number made it necessary to omit certain standard departments. Loew’s 30-Day Delay Cues Truce With Govt Thirty-day extension for Loew’s : filing of divorcement and theatre ! divestiture plans was granted by I the U. S. statutory court in N. Y. ;iast Friday (29). New deadline is •Jan. 31. i New delay could have the effect of giving the'major added opportunity for discussions of a possible settlement of the trust case with the Department of Justice. While the Warner Bros, pact already has been set, and a 20th-Fox consent decree is impending, Loew’s heretofore had been the only remaining defendant in the suit to appear headed for another court battle. If it decides on a D. of J. truce, it would mean the end of the 12-yearold industry case. Flash! NBC Prexy Going On CBS Network as Ford Yields to Look Mag Awards NBC prexy Joseph H. McConnell will make his first appearance on a regular program of a rival network when he and CBS prez Frank Stanton accept two of Look Magazine’s annual video awards on CBS-TV’s “Ford Theatre” Jan. 12. The web toppers will be kudosed by Look chief Gardner Cowles for their networks’ coyerage of the United Nations sessions. On that date Ford, which was also honored by the publication, is dropping its regular dramatic format for an all-star show on which 14 of the 16 winners of Look’s annual honors will appear. Ed Sullivan will emcee and other award-winners to take part will be: Arthur Godfrey, Dave Garroway, Faye Emerson, Sid Caesar, “Studio One” producer Worthington Miner, John Cameron Swayze, Paul “Mr. I. Magination” Tripp, “Your Show of Shows” producer Max Liebman, Robert Montgomery, “Studs’ Place” and “Dave Garroway” writer Charles Andrews and ABC-TV designer James McNaughton. Representing Gillette’s “Cavalcade of Sports” will be Mel Allen, Jimmy Pewers and Connie Desmond. Jimmy. Durante and Milton .Berle, also cited by the mag, are expected to be out of Gotham on ithe telecast date.