Variety (August 29, 1951)

INTERNATIONAL VMIIIVT LONDON OFFICE New Production Setup in Brazil Seen Taking Pix Out of Woods Rio de Janeiro, Aug. 21. A new deal for picture producers in Brazil promises to turn a for- merly profitless and risky biz into a serious, worthwhile trade. That is hoped for via the creation of the new Instituto Nacional de Cinema. New setup proposes to control dis- tribution of both national and for- eign pics; allocation of finance or the recommendation to finance, through the Banco do Brasil, of worthy material, to weed out unde- sirable elements in the industry and appoint known and proven technicians to work on approved scripts. It also plans to classify all films into three groups before distribution. New deal will not effect the num- No U.S., Britisb-Italian Pix Shooting in Italy Rome, Aug. 21. There are no American or Brit- ish and Italian co-productions in works now as has been the case for the last few summers. However. !(■ Carmine Gallone is heading and directing a Franco-Itailan combi-' nation, “Messalina.” Gallone is usually connected with operatic films. Mexican actress Maria Felix and George Marchal of Paris head the cast of more than 50 characters from the Italian and French stage and screen. Another planned for September Hoot Canadian House Mgr* London, Ont., Aug. 28. Pending the outcome of the audit at the Odeon Theatre here, fol- lowing the disappearance of Man- ager Ken Johnston, Paul Frost is temporarily in charge of operating the film house. Search for Johnston, who is be- lieved using the name of “Pat Noo- nan, Jr., of Toronto” spread to Van- couver, British Columbia, when an air line passenger agent identified a picture of Johnston as the man who boarded a plane for Van- couver, Old Vic Co. Tour Mapped for U. S. London, Aug. 28. . , .. . . . — . Arrangements for three top flight her of foreign pictures imported is ••Rich Man of the Glacier” which British companies to play America but will give stricter attention to, starts a new trend by combining and Canada are being finalized by their quality. This is an attempt (luli an and Spanish production. So i Hurok. currently here after an to force exhibitors to strive for , pic wiU ^ made in both languages, extensive Continental tour. He better screen fare. Foreign pix Qsvaldo Langini will direct. An- plang to return to the U. S. in given an “A” classification will pay 0 ther French Italian pic, “Leather less distribution fees than “B” and N OS e” is being lensed in Brittany, likewise the “B” films less than r star8 j ean Marais, Mariella Lotti “C.” The existing law calling for and Francoise Christophe. exhihs to show at least six national Arg. Chains Shuffle Houses to Make More lst-Runs Available for U.S. Pix film* n year, ignored by most big circuits in the past, is to be rigid- ly enforced. Film studios that want to bring in foreign technicians in the fu- ture will have to apply to the I.N.C. for permission, supplying proof that the experts they want are really qualified. Alberto Cavalcanti, who has been appointed by President Getuilo Vargas to head the new j “Greit Caruso organization, says the I.N.C. is not 'three houses Aussie Film B.O. Solid With ‘Caruso’ Sockeroo; ‘Etc/ ‘A4C’ in 6th Wks. Sydney Aug. 21. No headaches presently here at film theatre boxoffices as payees lineup soldily September. First of the three companies will be the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Bal- let, which is scheduled to open in Canada and will follow with a countrywide tour cf the U. S. They have been inked for 26 weeks and will play all major cities. Hurok is convinced that this company will achieve the same success as the Sadler's Wells Ballet Co. which toured America in the last two years. To follow, Hurok is planning to take over the Old Vic Co. in a for strong tali' | repertoire of three pliys headed by (M-G) Is sock tn I K; n* Le«r." This company Is be- •Born Yesterday” 1 in * parted for an eight-week sea- designed to dictate to studios but <col> is winding up a smash seven ?° n - °* ^J 11 to help those who want to make we eks. worthwhile pix. Film companies. *«Xll About Eve” «20th) now is will still be able to make films on i„ sixth week. “Lemon Drop Kid” their own so long via their own ft- 1 <*p a r) is healthy in third stanza nancing; but their productions will j while “Ellen” <UA) is oke in have to pass its censorship before sixth frame. “AfcC in Foreign being released. Studios requesting Legion” <U> is going six weeks. I.N.C. backing will be asked to sub- ( -Halls of Montezuma” <20th> ap- mit their scripts, names of stars, pears in for nice run. director and technicians. Cavalcanti, who returned to his na'ive Brazil after 25 years in Eu- ] rope where he gained recognition with British productions, has made two creditable films, “Calcara” and “Terra e Senipre Terra” plus sev- eral documentary pix for Vera Cruz studios in Sao Paulo since his return two years ago. After Cavalcanti quit Vera Cruz and was set to go hack to London. President Vargas took a sudden in- terest in the picture business, and summoned him to Catcte Palace to n . , i a n T17 D i discuss the situation. The talk Kr|f 5 } IY DOOSt ended with Vargas offering his | J presidential blessing to any scheme j that Cavalcanti could organize to put Brazilian films in the world London, Aug. 28. market. British TV is to be given a spe- The I.N.C. looks to become an- c j a i boost from tomorrow «Wed.) other governmental department 1 when the National Radio F.xhibi- with Its plans for promoting a tion opens at Earls Court. For 10 series of national shorts on the days top available talent is being Brazilian way of life, industry and recruited for a series of specially economic progress. The proposed ( designed programs which are being shorts will serve as a proving relayed from a specially construct- ground for young Brazilian di- ] cd theatre, rectors. in New York. It is possible he may arrange for the company to play a week in Boston and Phila- delphia. Today <Tues.), Hurok it hud- dling with the Glyndebourne Opera management to set a deal for the company to tour America In the 1952-53 season. Details have not advanced beyond preliminary stages, but there is every likelihood of the deal being concluded in the near future. Unions Pat Damper On Aussie Son. Films Sydney. Aug. 21. Latest development in the move to open cinemas here Sundays struck a snag when the powerful Theatrical Employees’ Union fpro- jectionists, etc Tissued an edict that if Columbia supplied pix to Miss Hilda Hattam. indie operator of the 1.120-seatpr Premier in Surry Hills, or to any other ex- hibitor. for Sunday playdates, projectionists would refuse to handle the Col product. Also they would yank off the current hit, “Born Yesterday.” This edict com- pelled Miss Hattam to canpel her Sunday bid. Columbia and other U. S. distribs have not come for- ward with any further plans. Leroy Brauer, Columbia chief here, said that his company firmly believes there ia a need for Sab- bath shows in Australia but thA his company has no intention of attempting to break the present laws covering unionism in Austral- ia. Melbourne’s Toppers Melbourne. Aug. 21. Lineup of top pix here includes “Great Caruso” <M*G>, “Comanche 1 Territory” <U>, “Inspector Gen- J l/fc« n c nn I Acme Ollt III eral” <WB>. "Ma & Pa Kettle on 1 JvdIIMJIl LU 0 C 0 l/Ul 111 Farm” <U). “Spider & Fly” <BEF», “Panique” (RKO) and “Branded” 1 Par). “Kim” “Flame and Ar- row” (\VB) and “Groom Wore Spurs” (U) are toppers in Bris- bane. Endeavor to Keep His Scripted Pix From Fete Paris. Aug. 28. President M. Drouilhat. of the Seine Court, has rendered a de- cision nullifying Henri Jeahson’s contention that he had a right to 17* II All D stop producers from sending pix Via Wat 1 Aifl I he had scripted to the Venice Film Festival. This was done via a “refere,” the French equivalent of an Injunction in U. S. Through lawyer Pierre Maurice Garcon, Jeanson tried to have “Gareon Sauvage” and "Birbe Bleue” placed in escrow for three weeks so that it would be impos- sible for them to be shown during the Venice festival. Jeanson ob- _ . . . . .. Jected to it on the grounds that he B r“.‘ ; K m<,r E! n , ^ f ° n /; did not consider the Italian jury ■"£? h “' r ax (air thereby creating con.lder- , ! able adverse comment in Italy and °" ®*P*-•• n T ,^v T ,i , .i ! some bad blood between French playing his first TV date since his . Iulian ftlm DeODle return from America tomorrow, an “ u “ mm people. and on the same bill will be Anne „ The producer. Gibe Films and the Yank Distribs, Mexican Exhibs Fear Worst Via 50% Playing Tone Law Mexico City, Aug. 28. Pessimism is spreading among U. S. distributors here and among many exhibitors because of the law enacted Aug. 6 that demands 30%- 50% playing time for Mexican Alms. Many fear the law will kill at least half of their biz. As a result, some exhibs are readying injunction suits against the law. Their attitude is seemingly voiced by Antonio Oslo, veepee of the National Exhibitors Assn., who feels that exhibitors don’t need laws. They believe the constitution is ample enough, he pointed out. Buenos Aires, Aug. 21. Argentina’s major exhibitors are at work in combination with the U. S. film distributors on a reor- ganization of their circuits which will enable showing on best possi- ble terms the many U. S. films which have arrived here after tha long hiatus during which new for- eign imports were spspended. The problem for distribs is to get favorable playing time at the highest possible percentages, al- ways bearing in mind that the for- eign films must alternate constant- ly with the native product. Best example of this is the race to get into the Gran Rex and Opera the- atres. tw’o biggest first-runs in Bue- nos Aires. Two weeks ago both were prevailed upon by the Enter- tainment Board to overlook the fact that “Cosas de Mujer” (Interameri- cana-Mapol) and “Los Arboles Meuren de Pie” <San Miguel) were not meeting holdover figures and keep them in for fifth weeks. This delayed “Enchantment” (RKO) and “The Men” (UA). Since national pix must segue immediately after those pictures, the Opera already has agreed to pretm “Mujeres en Soinbra” (Libertador) Aug. 23, al- though “The Men” only opened there last week. This means delay on the release of “The Heiress,** which Paramount had skedded for the Rex, and “Neptune’s Daugh- ters,” which Metro has set for its first release at the Opera. Even trailers of the foreign films must be exhibited jointly with trailers for some national picture. The Compania Central Cinema- tograflea iLautaret & Cavallo), which controls the Gran Rex, Ocean, Ambassador and Monumen- tal as well as some second-run houses, is trying to work out a deal whereby each feature will be released day-date in two of the former second-run spots to give the circuit seven first-runs. These work in a tieup with first- . neighborhood theatres con- tinued by lesser circuits. Under stating that every time a law is enacted it gives exhibitors prob- j this setup the circuit could absorb lems. I 52 foreign and 52 Argentine pic- Osio asserted that local top first-| tures each year. Lococo to Take 78 U. S. Fix Under a somewhat similar ar- rangement the Lococo circuit would run cinemas are incapacitated in exhibiting Mexican pix in propor- tion and for the time the law de- mands. He declaied that these a bsorb 78 foreign and 78 national house, prefer foreign pix because fllms ? n adduion to the5 . they .re the top coin producers. % circuits, the Entertain- ment Board is being asked to ap- Government sources continue mum ! about that remark. The industry here is smiling wanly at the boast by Felipe Velaz- quez. secretary-general of the Na- tional Cinematographic Industry Workers union, that should U. S. rawstock purveyors eliminate Mex- ico in reprisal against the law, Mexico will be situated okay be- cause the new’ factory in the Argen- tine will fill that gap. Trade re- marks hint that Argentine will feel lucky if its rawstock plant can e»'en supply needs down there and the report that the factory con- templates exporting will be news to the Argentinians. Grierson Raps Present British Socialist Govt. a W e • ia . n* i ana on me same diii win oe Anne . , r *~—v*' ~ *77“^ As Unfriendly to PlX , Ziegler .nd Websler Booth. and f"™*L A h “"; , . . , ,, Rentes & Landauer. The Mack Jeanson. since he agre< d to London Aug. 28 ] TripleU who Ugt week completed »cnpt the pix. had no right to An attack on the government s , two .*„ k „„ at the Pa n a dlum. I»«« “>*"> .commercially by altitude on the arts^ particularly w m h aV e a i5» m lnute “Starlight” the screen, has been made by John Grierson, former chief of the Cen- tral Office of Information, Films Division, and now the man behind the Group 3 project to train up- and-coming studio talent, In a mag- azine published in connection with the Edinburgh Film Festival. The only great friend the In- spot on Friday <30, and the fol- lowing night wilt be featured in “Rooftop Rendezvous” with the Five Smith Brothers and vocalist Joyce Golding. Next Monday (3), Sadler’s Wells ballerina Violetta .Elvin will be spotlighted in a 60-minute opera dam- inter- fering in having the films shown at the feat. London Legit Bits Col Angels ‘Mothers’ Rome, Aug. 21. Columbia International of Italy is backing “100 Little Mothers” a II« xviiij ft i x <■ i II ILIIU % • »xr nr I % » u . » ■. ixn_rl tt-n.-ii.jl i i ti t . currently being produced and dl- dustry has had, he writes, was Sir ; b y L«onide Moguy. Moguy Stafford Crippfc, but the others, for j Christian Simpson and George madl , the picture 20 years many good reasons and some bad : , . *[? , f* c “ "** ® I *80 In France. For tha current ones, could not allow’ their imagina-1 n * ln * 8,low tions or their energies to reach as far. As a result, art went out because the relationship of art to the all-too-important purpose of re- ago production, Moguy made a deal to use the story, but will be able to use the title of ”100 Little Mothers” only for foreign distribu- tion. “The Instinct” will be the Wellei’ Own Co. in Rome Rome, Aug. 21. A new’ company, Orson Welles suits was not w’ithin the political Productions, has been formed here,! tag for the U. S. moods. I with announced plans for produc- Grierson. who writes as “an old ing Alma and distributing both fea- radical,” refers to the long years ! ture pix and documentaries. of opposition behind ‘the Labor Party and “a trade union founda- tion which in its grasp of cultural values had never seen beyond suburbia. The only art* It really understood and trusted were the art of the platform and the art of political management.” First one is Start Tamil Fix Versions Madras. Aug. 21. Captain Noth”! Dwindling revenue from a limlt- which will he made at the Scalers ed field has caused Calcutta film Studios in Rome. Welles will write, producers to think of turning out direet and act in this one. Welles Tamil versions of pictures in Ben- is expected back from London in gaii as that the South Indian mar- September where he has been ket also can be tapped, finishing some sound work on his Tamil versions of nearly six pic- "Othello.” i tures are under way. London, Aug. 21. Jack Hylton's musical, which he acquired from Arrkta Measles and Albert Roth well for Arthur Aakey and Florence Desmond, will not be done till late fall. Show tries out at Oxford Dec. 3 for two weeks, after which it plays five weeks at Manchester ana then opens in the West End . . . Charlotte Frances has written a new play, titled “Celestial Circus.” as a vehicle for Renee Houston and her actor-hus- band Donald Stewart . . . Con- stance Cox’s adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray” which is being tried out at the Theatre Royal, Aldershot, Sept. 24 prior to the West End, will star Sorrel Carson in the mala title role, which ia something new, in having a femme depict the male character. John Hanau is produc- ing. Joyce Redman is replacing Joan Tetxel in “The Little Hut” at the Lyric Theatre, while the latter is away pn three weeks' vacation . John Van Druten’a new play, based on one of Christopher Isher- wood's stories, which he wrote with Joan Greenwood in mind, was re- luctantly turned down by the Eng- lish star. Although she liked the play, she thought her pari unsuit- able for a Broadway debut prove a third line of first-run houses. Similar arrangements have to be worked out in other principal Argentine cities. Columbia Pictures has inked a deal with the Central Cinemato- grafica. and has arranged for “Jol- son Sings Again” to be released at the Ocean Theatre when the na- tional picture “El Pendiente’* <AAA) completes its run there. Universal preemed “Mexican* Hay- ride” at the Normandie Aug. 14, and thus won the race to be the I first company to get one new ; product pn the screen. Universal. Metro. Warner and United Artists product will be re*, leased on the Lococo circuit while Paramount and 20th-Fox are sign- ing with the Central Cinemato- grafica. RKO's deal with the lat- ter ran into difficulties, and no pact has been signed as yet. Hold- over terms have been amended to meet the new situation, while the companies have considerably in- creased their percentages. Dilatory Official Tactics The worst problem the distribs have to contend with are the dila- tory tactics the authorities adopt ln granting exhibition permits and approving publicity material as well as the system of dual censor- ship by the Entertainment Board and by the municipal police. Local producer Miguel Machinandiarena (San Miguel Studios), who repped local production on the municipal censorship board, disagreed so much with the latter’s policy on native pix which were rejected that he resigned. An industry delega- tion recently asked President Pe- ron to have censorship left entirely up to the Entertainment Board. The Court here has rejected the claims made by a number of the U. S. distributors against the tax department for return of taxes paid on royalties, contesting the state's demand for 5% of half of all gross receipts remitted to the U. S.