Variety (February 1951)

r *1, * u Wednesday, February 21 , 1951 . Phonevision tests, as currently V ■ ■——^ ““ being conducted in Chicago, will »• j • not furnish a true picture of the AlUg DlfOS. lSSUlDg “pay-as-you-$ee” system's boxoffice ^ AAA AAA A , ffl potential, in the opinion of major 300,000 SfcareS »t $1 film companies providing product v > „ for the experiment. Film execs Hollywood, Feb. 20. claim to have learned that the 300 King Bros, are putting out addi- participating families demonstrated tional stock issue of 300,000 shares an “active interest” in Phonevision to sell at $1 per share. The State before the tests got “underway. Be- last year granted producers per- cause of that “active interest,” they mit to sell 1,000,000 shares. At aver the reaction of these families that time, they, sold 300,000. cannot be considered as indicative Present stockholders wiir get of how the average viewers across preference on new issue to limit the country would go for Phone- of their respective holdings. Un- vision if and when the system gains ! der terms of agreement, corpora- commercial approval. j tion officers and board members In choosing the families tq par-: have right to buy up unsold stock. fticiDate according to the film: Funds will finance upcoming_pix, chiefs, Zenith Radio tested a mas-1 including ‘The Syndicate.” Orig- ter group on various degrees of {inal stockholders will benefit from interest. A certain percentage of, profits on “Southside 1-1000,” the master group were found to which corporation financed 50<e. have no interest in participating and “Drums in Deep South, in the tests, others were found to which corporation financed com- have a modified interest and a pletely.. smaller percentage demonstrated ‘ ■■ " active interest. Zenith, the film niff AAA IT ■ f . execs claim, selected the entire 300 UT1 vl < |Ulift AI families from among the latter tul.OJ.tlaUvv lid ill group; As a result, they declare, the reaction of these families would I1TV\ f MJV necessarily be-slightly prejudiced Uf ll < MAC in favor of ordering the screenings. If U IUI J IVlUvs Meanwhile, Professor Clyde H . rt, director of the National Opin- Net profits of $1,813,000 - was re- Fight ICO’* Phonevision 'Chicago, Feb, 20. Phonevision apparently will be Subject to the same com- petitive threats as any other show biz medium. Orders for the 9 p.m. screening last Wednesday night (14) by fami- lies participating in the cur- rent test fell off drastically, : ^r 1 SsS r S& 1 March Inml vi£« leguiai the home omce for March 2^ Ses- Employing a girl with a Courteous That a ton snorts event on sions * which will be conducted by and business-like voice, Dennison TV can brinnlS bUwss • IS A. W. Schwalberg, president of Par- is making a telephone survey of film hpln nroved amount Film Distributing Corp. J his community and is finding out Annual KS will be the first get-together of the things he didn’t know before. A in£ S1 of e Uie^'Worid^eries^'for division chiefs since last September new angle is .being utilized by gi v - IxinDle 1 L^kn^ked filmerv ! and will -be * continuation of policy ng a cash prize and pair of tickets i® ™of periodic huddles. to those who correctly name the fn TV ar^ac y 50 j A( ^ n( j lng the me etings will be current picture playing at one of In ■ " • M. R. Clark, south-central manager; his local houses. All who answer J. J. Donohue, central; Howard questions put to them are sent fact HnnUac Pornsin Minsky, mideast; Hugh Owen, east- passes. LaSI flUi QlCo liCnialU ern and southern; G. A. Smith, To date, Denniston'sphone caller ip n A A western, and Gordon Lightstonc, has contacted 1,005 citizens. Popu- 10 D€ urercome U0 Canadian general manager. Home lation of town is 21,000. She has un . | m • _• « office execs attending will be Bar- learned so far that of the contacted MrAA I Wist Sanction ! uey Balaban, Adolph Zukor, Paul homes, 557 have television sets and ■ ■■ ■ | Raibotirn, Ted O'Shea, Oscar Mor- that 44V6% of the set owners Eagle Lion Classics, contrary to 'g an and Jerry Plckman. either don't go to theatres at all or earlier indications, is now likely i — ; co less than formerly: 18 ncrson* Mich. Indie Probes Fdm B.O. His Via Phone Surrey; TV Ae Heavy’ Par Sets Meeting Of Monroe, Midi., Feb. 20 I Joseph Denniston, operator of [ the. Monroe and Family theatres here, is using a’ hew gimmick to to encounter new opposition when 1 fllff AAA H i i. its controversial pic, “Oliver I XI Ylmll mIAT At Twist,” goes before the board of ijUJLujVVV lid ill [ the Motion Picture Assn, of Amer- I ica for Production Code approval. |«Tf\ / , A ||J|. jMPAA meeting for reconsidera- M/k Ia|* V 111 AC -tion of the film will be held in IfU IUI J IVlUws N. Y. today (Wed.). | Though ELC deleted all scenes Net profits of $1,813,000 was re-; f r om the film as recommended by . «. 1 MM V ft. • I ** liboiirn, Ted O'Shea, Oscar Mor- that A4Vfc% of the set owners n and Jerry Plckman. either don’t go to theatres at all or — : —. go less than formerly; 18 persons, n. 1111 AIT or said they were tired of TV \f AAlrllAmAirC I IK and seldom, turned on their sets; UlUvllllUlUCl o \J1V 75 % said they watched the theatre ads In the newspaper and attended 111 A FI Al the advertised pictures appealed Wlc KAAI^ff KlOll to them - Only two persons com- TV U llCUl 1 Kill ' plained about the admission price. | In addition to questions which Wilmington, Del., Feb. 20. j brought out the above data, the Stockholders of Warner Bros, to- cidhir asked for comments on cur- ion Research Center, who collabo-1 p 0r ted yesterday (Tues.) by War-. Production Code chief Joseph I.! day (Tues.) approved reorganizn- ! ^ ent Pictures and the manner in rated with Zenith in selecting the ■ ner Bros, and subsidiary companies Breen, some members of the direc- j tion plan under which production- ! which the* theatres were operated, families, denied in Chicago this I f 0 r three months ended Nov. 25, torate, who have seen the revised ' distribution will be divorced from She also asked for suggestions for week that he was dissatisfied with 1950 . Earnings represented a drop print, still are insistent that code {company’s theatre subsidiary. Vote improvements. The girl was given the projection of the. first month s. of $1,376,000 under the net for the approval is not justified. was 5 679 833 shares in favor of the only telephone numbers.. She did results on a the opposition will b. ."ot.taM the identity of the peo- iection was made ; ».P~« ? ? ’ 1 ^- 00 2.?V«iS p ® rt ?^ formidable enough to result in a ! while, company and its subsidiaries j called^unttl she asked for their Zenith pi-ez E. F. McDonald, Ji., { Net earnings for the 1950 period negative vote not pred ictable. i will conUnue under their present: names and addresses after explom- who based lus estimates on .the : we re equivalent to 26c a share on ; Ho * V er it’s known at least a few I system of operation until the reor-, ine the reason for the contact. 10,000,000 video refers novv.in t h* 6.821,600' shares^of common mPAA directors feel deeply t ganization < formula ll can be’put into Other data gleaned from the sur- Circulation in the U. S. Acceding stock outstanding on Nov 25. after imt .. Twisr and i t ’ s conceit! effect. Deadline for the completion 1 were a high number of re- to Professor Hart, the Research deducting shares held in the treas- J®.- .. p „„!,*■ ; n fi n « nr ,p tho final ■ of the olan is Anril 4 1953 as Dre- quests for specific children pro- Center was employed only to select ury . Pro fit for the corresponding could “>“»«■>« “' e £lnal j “ ‘“/‘f” t h e £o vcrnmcn?s dt grams on Saturday afternoons and the initial samples and to make a . period of the previous year repre- .?*““»•• .... ■ J . . u . ■ : 5S" ““ w tne ' ,# . rnmem * condemnation of booking a crime final analysis of the recite f Whoi sented 43c a share on the 7,295,000 i Stockholders also authorized can- «r murder picture with a western, the test is compieted Zenith he . common shares then outsWo^Ung, |Breen when it first was submitted | ccllation of mooo shares ot com . Survey also brought out^contention ■ mori stock now held in the treasury , (Continued, on page 16) ' and reelected present directors. r — j Undei^he plan, stockholders will nirAi^ I • T 11 j exchange one share of Warner . luVU S LdpUKClC 13 JKS j Bros. Pictures, Inc., stock for l *2 \ » •• /TIC i share of stock in the new theatre ■ TlICA IlSA Al II aL the initial samples and to make a ; period of the previous year repre- * . ' cree condemnation of booking a crime final analysis of the recite f Whoi; sented 43c a share on the 7,295,000 i Stockholders also authorized can- murder picture with a western, the test is completed. Zenith, he - common shares then outstanding, i vv ” e I! T 1 l “■ ' v ^ s sub 1111 ^® ! oe ii a tion of 523 000 shares of com- Survey also brought out contention .aid, is-perfcctly at liberty, mean- After eliminating intercompany to him. ELC presented its case ; ^now heU In the triakunr, (Continued on page 18) while, to make its own estimates. transactions for the quarter, film i to the MPAA board of appeal and , if? directors —— Major companies, comparing Ze- rentals, theatre admissions, sales, I (Continued on page 15) i UndeiiBie olan stockholders will nirrv, « • w» n nith’s weekly reports with those etc ., amounted to $27,925,000 as — — ! exchan« one share of V^mer RKO s LaDinere Talks rounded up by their own analysts compared with $32,712,000 for the : • - . - . _• . | 8^ |f ctu reV Inf stock fo™*5 i U - in Chi, have found the Zenith, figj previous corresponding period j McCarthy GoiOg tO P»T1S “iare of stock in tii'e ncw theatre | Yuan lb. J II S P|X ures to be “accurate.” They have i provision for estimated Federal ' ° - m ! comoanv and share in the new 1U 5 W WI 1 IA discovered, incidentally, that the j income taxes, $2,000^000, has been On FrAiim-II S Parf picture company Warner Bros 1 Paris, Feb. 20, features which were the biggest calculated at rates provided under V“ U * i> ’ *’* W i « a rorooratim. win be ! ®ias Laplnere. KKO’s Contin- grossers when they were first re-, existing laws. No excess profits John G. McCarthy, director of ; dissolved » ; ental chief, has left here for Bel- leased to theatres are not neces-; tax provision has been estimated.: the Motion Picture Assn, of Amer- During the reorganization period, grade to discuss with the Yugoslav sarily the most popular with Phone- 1 as it is not expected that any will j ica’s international division, will . stockholders were told, parent ■ state film monopoly release of addi- vision viewers. So far, the majors be required. ! probably go to Paris next month ICompany subsidiaries’ will not tional pix. Films are the indie have not been able to find a rea-; Company acquired ^97,000 shares , to reopen negotiations on the | be subject to excess profits taxes product handled by RKO. son for the apparent switch in pop- of common stock at A cost of $3,- Franco-American film agreement. ; un ie S e consolidated earnings ex- RKO’s own product is distribbed ularity. ; 739,000 between June 22, 1950, and it’s possible that Joyce O’Hara, ! cee( j $24 000 000. in Yugoslavia ^a the Motion Pic- — ; close of fiscal year, Aug. 31. Dur- acting head of the MPAA, will ac- I Directors reelected at the meet- id 1 * 6 Export Assn.. MPEA is al- • m IT C D i : com P an y a hd Vz share in the new Un rranCO-UA ract company. Warner Bros. ■ . ' . . ' Pictures, as a corporation, will be John G. McCarthy, director of ; di sso ived. e Motion Picture Assn, of Amer- j During the reorganization period. Yugo Use oflLS. Pix Paris, Feb. 20, £Itas Laplnere, RKO’s Contin- ental chief, has left here for Bel- grade to discuss with the Yugoslav be subject to excess profits taxes product handled by RKO. unless consolidated earnings ex- RKO’s own product is distribbed ceed $24,000,000. in Yugoslavia via the Motion Pie- Memo’s ‘Stars’ Cited By Freedom Foundation j close of fiscal year, Aug. 31. Dur- j acting head of the MPAA, will ac- Directors reelected at the meet- tu re Export Assn.. MPEA is j ing quarter ended Nov. 25, 1950, { company McCarthy on the junket. j ng wcre Samuel Carlisle. Stan- ■: lowed some convertibility of ea (company bought 175.700 shares of : O’Hara was executive assistant to : leigh Friedman, Charles Guggcn- ings. and Laplnere aims to extc j its common for $2,309,000, with an . prez Eric Johnston, now on leave 1 heimer. Samuel Schneider and the permission for the indie pr ; additional purchase of 49,600. 0 f absence as Economic Stabiliza- Morris Wolf uct outside the MPEA deal, i shares, at a cost of $618,000, be- ; tion chief. : RKO indies include Sam Metro’s “Stars in My Crowm” is ; tween Nov. 25, 1950, and Jan. 11. ?, the winner of the 35m motion pic- 1951 All purchases were made on ; |— : tore Freedom Foundation award ; the N. Y. or Los Angeles stock ex- , CA^HIIlCfC DIcA which Gen. Omar N.* Bradley is changes. No common stock has ; Ldlllingb IllbC scheduled to present in ceremonies ; been bought by the company since! Contlnued from pace * 3 to be held at Valley Forge, Pa., J an - tt* tomorrow <Thurs ). Chartered in i | $30,310,748, compared with $28,- 1949 as a non-profit, non-poliCical; if n; | si ; 086,596 in ’49. and non-sectarian awards founda- ■ JUQS6 I 1CKS nCW i TOF | Rep prexy Herbert J. Yates in tion, the croup bestows annual n n* P J DlTA D #; his-annual-report to stockholders prizes in 19 different categories. fJC* tUQS KlVU DC6l j disclosed other gains. Finn iiqui- The accolades are intended to pro- , . . 9 _ . ; dated all arrearages on preferred mote a better understanding of Eagle Lion Classics, distributors. stock dividends. Also, indebted- freedom. j-°f the Benedict Bogeaus produc- ‘ ness to banks, which amounted to For copping first place, Metro * tion, “My Brother, the Outlaw,” ; $3,086,100 as of last October, has i Richard Morgan to ELC <! Richard Morgan, formerly of Paramount’s legal dept., has joined : Eagle Lion Classics’ distribution ' staff ii\ the homeoffice. i Morgan was hired by William J. Heineman, vice-president and Rep prexy Herbert J. Yates in sales head, as a consultant on his annual report to stockholders., ie^al phases of clearance and sales. The accolades are intended to pro- mote a better understanding of freedom. For copping first place, Metro will receive $1,500. Second place yesterday (Tues.) changed the .since been redu.ced by $1,077,458. winners reportedly will be “Cheap- ( film’s title to “My Outlaw Brother I Inconsistent with the general up- er Bv the Dozen” (20th), .“Our Very . upon advice of N. Y. Federal Court : trend was the report issued by Own” (RKO-Goldw'vn), “Brokeni Judge Vincent L. Leibell. Jurist; WB yesterday (Tues.). This Arrow'” (20th) and “Breakthrough’' ! made the suggestion last week after ; showed a net of $1*813,000 for the (WB). These films sharing the hearing arguments on a motion: quarter ended last Nov. 25, down runner-up spot each will rate cash \ made by RKO for a permanent in- fi’om the $3,189,000 earned in the awards of $300. Third place lau- ! junction to restrain ELC from • corresponding ’49 period. The drop rels, it’s understood, will go to using the tag. i was not too significant since “The Women of Tomorrow” (Girl ! Old Label on the Bogeaus picture, J it covered only the initial quarter Scouts), “Next Voice You Hear” ! Judge Leibell indicated, conflicts ' of WB’s new fiscal year. (Metro). “Young Doctor Sam” i "'ith the RKO-Howard Hughes pro-] Upward monetary turn for the rels, it’s understood, will go to “The Women of Tomorrow” (Girl Scouts), “Next -Voice You Hear” (Metro). “Young Doctor Sam” (Par), “Albert in Blunderland” (M-G) and “The Fifth Freedom” (Mode Art);, ! They’ll get $100 apiece, This was the first year in which with the RKCy-Howard Hughes pro- ! Upward monetary turn for the duction, “The Outlaw.” Court j combined five companies, as well as added through similarities in tags each, individually, is lafgely at- (Mode Art); , ! They’ll get $100 ' the former pic could likely cash in | tributable to sharp production apiece, : i on the reputation "of the RKO film, j economies, plus cuts in operational This was the first year in which During the proceeding before the ! costs. Also a factor, of course, full-length feature films were elig- bench, ELC’s attorney pointed out | has been some improvement in gen- ible to participate in the Founda- that since 1948 some 40 pictures j eral trade conditions for the pro- tion awards. Organization also re-1 had been made with “outla.w” con- duction-distribution end of the In- portedly will hand a posthumous' tained in the title. , dustry. ' ■ prize to Al Jolson for the char-1 Judge Leibell, however, noted ? Five firms, while marking new prize to Al Jolson for the char-( Judge L.eiDeu, nowever, noiea i rive firms, wnue marxing new ltable provisions of liis will. In ; that Bogeaus’ use of the word in ' gains, * still have plenty of uphill the radio field, Du Pont’s “Caval-j “My Brother, the Outlaw” was travel to go before they near the cade of America” is said to be the done in a combination that was too ; peak levels of ’46. When that fiscal top contender for first place. Other i similar to the RKO picture. Court ( year came to a close, the companies fields in w'hich awards arc to be dis-I recommended that the attorneys ' chalked up total. earnings of $47,- trihuted include advertising cam- ! get their principals together to ; 230,000. trihuted include advertising cam- ! get their principals together to ; 230,000. paigns, single cartoons, magazine ; work out a new handle for the ELC i This dwarfs the ’50 total bf*$22,- articles, etc. Within each cate- j upcoming release somew'hat along 223,400. But the big heartening gory, a total of $5,000 in cash i the lines of “My Outlaw Brother.” factor, of course, is that the ycar-to- awards was established. The 1950 ; This was done. year decreases have levelled off awards jury was chairmaned by Dr. < RKO filed the injunction suit and the industry is again march- Milton S. Eisenhower.- ’ « <| against ELC on Feb. 6. i jing in the right financial directionr N. Y. to L. A. Eve Arden Bristol Broderick Christopher Chnllis Noah Dietrich Bonita Granville Lcland Hayward Joseph H. Hazen William Kozlenko Herbert T. Silverberg Jack Skirball Thomas Slack • Harry Trenner, George Ward Jack Wrather N. Y. to Europo Cecil Beaton Florence Desmond . Rudolph Firkusny Van Heflin John Huston Col. Jock Lawrence Alfred Nightingale Cornelia Otis Skinner Sam Spiegel Europe to N. Y. Pier Angeli Otto Koegel Wladimir Lissim Sir Alexander Korda William C, Michel Borrah Minevitch Herbert T. Silverberg Spyros P. Skourns Earl l. Sponable*'' • >. * ture Export Assn.. MPEA is al- lowed some convertibility of earn- ings. and Laplnere aims to extend the permission for the indie prod- uct outside the MPEA deal. RKO indies include Samuel Goldwyn, Walt Disney and Sol Lesser. L. A. to N. Y. June Allyson Joe E. Brown J. J. Cohn Gary CSopcr Ralph Edwards Philip Epstein Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Lisa Fcrraday Joan Fontaine Charles Friedman Greta Garbo Dr. Eli Goulden Abner J. Grcshler Harry A. Gourfaln John Hubley John Huston Henry Jones ’ Angela Lansbury Lester Lee David A. Lipton. Lenore Lonergan „ Florence Marly Seal McClory Gene. Norman Pat O’Brien Barbara Payton Dick 1 Powell Will Price Don Prince Jerome Rosenthal Irving Rublhe Manie Sacks' Sol A. Schwartz Danny Shapiro Tom Shells Robert Stillman Elizabeth Taylor Robert Taylor Spencer Tracy John Wayne Di\ Donald Powell Wilson Herbert J. Yates Alan Young ■ . , , . • Darryl F. Zanuck