Variety (March 1952)

Wednesday* March 5, 1952 ricmjRKS Walkout of homeoffice pub-ad+ staffers at Warner Bros, and 20th- Fox scheduled for yesterday (Tues.) was postponed as staffers and companies resumed talks last week. Publicists, members: of the N Y. -Screen Publicists Guild, in- dicated that the strike vbte still existed but would not .be called as long as the companies .bargained in good faith. WB execs have conceded, the •'double severance’’ provision* is- sue which caused the WB unit to reach the walkout decision. With this point out of the way, talks have been * proceeding at a faster clip and there is a ‘degree of opti- mism that an agreement will be reached in a day or two. At 20th, numerous confabs’ have been held, but there has been no hint of an impending conclusion. Main point being sought by 20th staffers is as- surance that the company’s* ad- vertising department would not be transferred to its ad agency. Meanwhile, a lull has set in at Universal, where talks reached a stalemate last. week. It’s reasoned that the outcome of the negotia- tions at U hinges to a large extent on the pattern established at either (Continued on page 22) Lippert Sets % Checker In line With Plan For . Rome, March 4. Sam. Spiegel, independent Hol- lywood producer, has been nego- tiating With Ingrid Bergman to star in a picture which he may turn out in Italy. Placing more emphases on the exploitation of pix oyer a; longer period, Hollywood is building up the biggest' backlog of features in recent ye£rs, with 177 pictures either in the can, in the editing and scoring stage,, or in actual produc- iliss^Bergnfian, wife of producer-] luAnfAp UrtKorfft. n^cAUini. pv- psrently have convinced pioduc tip,ns toppers of the necessity of director Roberto Rossellini, ex a - child this summer and Won’t be available until the end of August. Spiegel is algo dickering with Marlon Brando, who would costar. haying the completed pix in the N. Y. offices far in advance of the . AvoWed policy of Lippert Pic- tures tb. concentrate upon., distri- bution of better-quality, percent- age-rental product reportedly is a factor behind the company’s reten- tion qf Jack H. Levin Associates as its checking agency ^on percentage product. Agreement was inked last week following confabs be- tween Jack Levin/ and Arthur Greenblatt, Lippert sales chief. Lippert expects to follow up its last season success of “The Steel Helmet,” “Rocketship X-M,” etc., with three George Raft pictures. Distrib also has a Veronica Lake-. Zachary Scott starrer, “Stronghold,” due for release this spring in ad- dition to the Hall Bartlett docu- mentary, “Navajo.” Fact that^" Lippert is handling “Navajo-” Greenblatt declared in New York this Week, doesn’t mean that the company will make a point of distributing art product; But when pictures come along that merit special . selling—such as “Navajo”—tlm distrib is.willing to take ’em on. Meantime, company prexy Robert L. Lippert returned to the Coast over the weekend after a five-day New York huddle with Greenblatt <s ‘ well as division and exchange managers. Confabs were held with view toward laying the . ground- work for expanded distributional operations. Accent oirdistfibutitnr follows Lippert’s cessation of pro- duction on his own last fall. Increasing number of deals for the release of indie product are being made by Warner Bros. With announced arrangement for- the distribution of “Three for Bedroom C,” Edward L, Alperson-Milton Bren production in natural color starring Gloria Swanson, company now is releasing films for seven indies. In addition to the one-pic deal with Alperson-Bren, WB distribs films of Fidelity-Vogue, Howard Welsch-A. Pam Blumenthal unit; Norma Productions, BUrt Lancaster company; Abbott & Costello inde- pendently-produce d pix: Trans- atlantic Pictures, Sidney Bernstein- Alfred Hitchcock firm; Cagney Productions, William and James Cagney outfit, and U: S. Pictures, Milton Sperling’s indie Unit. WB also has a separate deal with Charles K. Feldman on an indi- vidual picture basis. Feldman de- livers a complete package, includ- ing story and players, and works out a percentage arrangement with the talent involved. Warners pro- vides the financing. Indie distrib deals, today’s market, offer a major company many advantages: 1. Additional pix can fill lapses in the production schedule. 2. With companies getting away from long-term exclusive deals with top stars, they can make arrangements with the players for distribution and partial financing of player’s indie-produced pic in (Continued on page 24) actual release dates so that mer- chandising tieups and national magazine and syndicate breaks can be arranged over an extended period/ Backlog is in. keeping with the announced policy of 20tb-Fox in revealing its release sked for the entire year to exhibs. Thusly, it’s believed, exhibs can adjust their thinking in terms of what they will be getting for the full .year; and can lend some assistance in the pre-selling campaign. It’s obvious that, the other companies are act- ing similarly although they haven’t officially announced the ’forthcom- ing product for a full /ear. What stands out in the analysis of the available backlog is the pre- ponderance of .“big” pix, indicat- ing that the film-makers are con- vinced that the “biggies” will draw the patrons to the b.o. Noticeably, too, is the stress on color, with anywhere from 25% to 40% in the tinted process. In addition, the power of star , names is still evi- dent, longtime Hollywood favorites heading a majority of the casts. Paramount, with 28 pix; has the largest current slate. Of these 15 are in the can, eight are being (Continued on page 19) IT* Insurance Making sure that no. unto- ward event halts the flow of its bread-and-butter pix, Univer- sal has built up a blacklog of its “Francis” and “Ma and Pa Kettle” series. Company is already working on a “Kettle” production that woii’t be released until 1954. The 1952 and 1953 entries have alr eady been completed. “Fran- cis-’ piX are all set up to 1953. ; Mutual Holding 2-Day Sales Meet in N. Y. Mutual Pictures* production-dis- tribution company recently formed by Moe Kerman and jack Dietz, will hold a two-day sales conven- tion at the Warwick Hotel, N. Y., starting today .(Wed.); Marketing and exploitation plans on Dietz’s recently completed “Models, Inc.;” will be aired before franchise- holders. “ Kerman, who heads the company disclosed in New York this week that the firm’s production program has: been set at eight pictures for the first year,, with 12 to follow for the second year. Distribution is set through the outfit's! own fran- chise-holders in all 31 exchange ‘areas. Among those due to attend the sessions, besides Kerman and Dietz, are Albert Bezel and Sam Kaplan, who own the Mutual fran chises in Chicago and Detroit. Dietz, incidentally, is the firm’s veepee in charge Or production. Chicago, March 4 . Two anti-trust suits involving Chicago theatres as plaintiffs were filed here last week ' Federal Court. ' First, a $600,000 trteble-damage action on behalf of the Wicker Non-Theatrical Pix Prods. Cited for Lack Of Festival Co-op Washington, March 4. American representation at for- eign film festivals suffers from lack of cooperation among producers of non-theatrical films, the State De- partment complains. In the past, it’s pointed out, no central organi- zation has sifted entries in advance as to quality and proper category. Consequently, the best U. S. docu- mentaries are frequently over- looked. Problem is best summed up by Miss I. A. .Wright, chairman of the State Dept.’s Review Commit- tee on Visual and Audio Material. “Unless the participation of pro- ducers of non-amusement films is organized,” she warns, “and some Center (like the Film Council) agreed upon with which the di- rectors of film festivals may deal -participation will Hollywood’s increasing trend to. tinted films is being paralleled in England, with British studios carry- ing their biggest color- sked in years. ; j, Arthur Rank Organiza- tion heads the color parade, hay- ing five spectrums in various stages of completion, Two are awaiting U. S, preems. Latter includes “Ivory Hunter,” Royal Command performance film known in England, as “Where No Vultures Fly” and “The Magic Box,” produced as a joint effort by the British film industry for the recent Festival of Britain. “Magic Box” stars Robert Donat and includes in its cast GO of Eng- land’s top film personalities. ‘Editing are the film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” (Michael Red- grave, Joan Greenwood, Margaret Rutherford) and “The Penny Priiv cess,” comedy starring Yolandc Dpnlan and Dirk Bogarde. . Before the aameras are Noel Coward’s “Meet Me Toaight,” epi- sodic treatment of three of his one-act plays from ‘'Tonight at 8:30,” and “Fanfare for Fig Leaves,” story of Britain’s fashion establishments. In preparation is “The Love Lottery,” being made by Monja Danischewsky and Alex- ander Mackendrick, the producer- director team of “Tight Little Is- land.” 4* Even if the : Supreme Court upholds the so-called “collapsible corporation,” it’s not likely to be o f ahy future help to ihdustryites who organize one-picturc com- panies. Congress undoubtedly Will' pass a law closing the loophole. Ohc-picture companies were ruled valid In a lio$ Angeles court deci- sion last Week ordering an Income tax refund of $198,515 to F. Hugh Herbert, playwright and screen-- writer, and his wife. Government indicated that it would: take the case to the high court. If the Federal lawmakers pass a loophole-closing regulation; mil- lions of dollars in extra taxes already paid still will be returnable if suits are filed against the Govt ernment, since no ex post facto (retroactive) laws are permissible under, the Constitution. Treasury officials; meanwhile; were confident that the . Supreme Court would overturn the, decision handed down Thursday (28) by Federal Judge Leon R. Yankwich, in which he ruled that film profits should be taxed on ji capital-gains basis rather than as personal in- come for the Herberts. In all probability if will take several years before a Supreme Court deci- sion is forthcoming. The Herberts had brought suit to recover $34,925 for 1945 and $163,590 for 1946. Involved in the case was the picture, “Kiss and Tell,” produced in 1945 by a com- pany formed by Herbert and George Abbott for Columbia re- lease. When the company was dissolved later and Herbert claimed a capital gain, the Treasury De- partment ignored the corporation and its liquidation, and levied in- come tax assessments against the Herberts, Judge Yankwich declared that such corporations cannot be dis- continued on page 12) the majors, Balaban & Katz and Warner Theatres circuits, conspired to keep product from the Royal Theatre from Jan. 1, 1935, until .March 1, 1944. Case has been as- signed to Judge William Campbell. Second suit, a leasehold action for the Investors Theatre Corp:; is on behalf of the Paulina Theatre, which has been dark since June, 1951. It also names the majors and theatre chains but adds the Essan- ess circuit. Investors claims that it holds a 99^year lease on prop- erty, which has beeh damaged to a $750,000 extent because of alleged refusal to permit operators of the theatre to lease pictures. House was subleased in 1944 to BPR, Inc., and Investors claims it, too, was unable to get better product. Suit will come up before Judge Philip Sullivan. Attorney Richard Orlikoff repre- sents both plaintiffs. RepY25cDivvy Republic Pictures* board last week declared -a 25c. divvy per share on preferred stock. Melon is, payable April 1 to stockholders of record as of March 14. ' v continue to be handicapped.” Report submitted to the State Dept, last fall by three U. S. Gov- ernment reps at the Venice Film Festival (Aug. 8-Sept. 10) also took exception to the “unsatisfactory” method of determining U. S'. .film participation in the festival. “The feature film producers are com- paratively few in number,” report stated, “and Well organized.” But, it was noted; the non-ambsement producers are “legion and . unor- ganized,” As a result the festival authorities find themselves “flood- ed with prints of films which they cannot possibly; review, or classify in proper categories;” For a solu- tion the report Urged formation Of a joint committee; with mem* (Continued bn page 22) UAY2 for April United. Artists yesterday (Tuesj disclosed it has scheduled two re- leases for April. First of the pix, slated for April 11, will be “Cap- tive City,” initialer from the Mark Robson-Robert Wise Unit;:, John Forsythe is starred, Scheduled for April 25 is David E, Rose’s “Saturday-s Island,” star- ring Linda Darnell. METRO SETS 19 FOR RELEASE IN 6 MOS. Metro has set 19 features for re- lease during the six mouths be- ginning March 1, it was announced in N. Y. yesterday (Tues.) by Charles M. Reagan, general sales manager. Sked provides for three films each month; excepting May when four will swing into distribu- tion. There will be one film in color each month. M-G, meanwhile, is continuing its s p e cm Tiaridling of “Quo Vadis” on a bidding basis in all situations. U n d e r new deals ap- proved recently, the epic is now set to open 89 engagements this month, bringing to 165 the number which have been held or scheduled until the end of March. 0, F. Sullivan, Wichita Exhib, Under Tax Rap Topeka, March 4. Federal grand jury here last week returned: an indictment ac- cusing 6. F. Sullivan, Wichita, .presideUt of Central Theatre Co., of evading personal income tax and other taxes due from the company. Jury charged that in 1945 he re- ported net income Of $18,284 and paid tax of $5,309, but that true income was $40,010 with tax due oj $17,776. The jury also alleged evasions for 1946; 1947 and 1948; the figures for 1946 were- given as identical to those of 1945. In another indictment Sullivan was charged With making false re- turns for his company. Central . Theatres operates both- convention al and* drive-in theatres in Wichita land vicinity. in 2 Extra Men At Grand; House Reopens Chicago, March 4. . Chi projectionists union last week won their demands for use of six operators at the RKO Grand. House, shuttered since Feb. 2 due to demands for two extra men, re- opens tomorrow (Wed.) with “David and Bathsheba” (20th). “Phone Call From a Stranger” (20th) fol- lows lor two weeks, then “Viva Zapata” (20th) comes in for ex- tended run. Deadlock resulted when union said the* extra men, who were used on advanced-price pictures, should be kept on when spot returned to poprprice releases. RKO pointed opt that in the past when this hap- pened staff returned to normal in Grand and other houses. Efforts to reopen a sister house, the Palace, which has also been dark, are not meeting with as much success./ Union claims here are different from those at.the Grand. House was used. as legiter from Sept. 1 to Dec. 23, then Was to re- vert to films, but union said that the existing contract was abro- gated aftd ; new pact was to be made. 13 Pix for Release By Col Thru Summer Columbia this week completed its releasing schedule, through to next August with the lineup in- cluding three films from Stanley Kramer, two from Edward Small and one from Louis deRochepiOrtt. Total of 13 pix are the list from the present through the sum- mer months. First of the new; product from Kramer will be “My Six Convicts,” which goes into distribution, this month. deRochemont’s. pic> “Walk East on Beacon,” goes out in ApnU Small will have “Brigand” m July and “Cripple Creek*’ in August.