Variety (April 1953)

Wednesday, April 22, 1953 FirruKES 7 PRODUCT FOR DOG DAYS Reappraisal of Film Rental Deals Looms as Direct Offshoot of 3-D A complete reappraisal of film-f rental deals, both percentage and ' flat appears to be a certain off- shoot of o the introduction of 3-D. Based on the experience of three companies who have handled depth pictures. United Artists, Warner Bros, and Columbia, it’s obvious that distribution costs are sky- rocketing. According to distrib sources, the cost of marketing 3-D pictures is just about double of that of flats, to make up for the added coin outlays, distribs of ne- cessity are forced to up their rental charges. . Exhibs, though loud in . their beefs of upped prices for flat pix, so far have exempted the stereopix. Should any protests stem from rentals sought for the 3-D films, distribs are ready to present a de- tailed analysis' of the increased ex- penses. Terms for the early 3-D’ers, all of which have been sock b.o. attractions, have been at 50*0 of the gross, with exhibs accepting these deals sans beefs. Most basic of the distribs* addi- tional costs is the expense of prints. Because of the dual projec- tion necessary for 3-D, all print orders are doubled. Where a pic- ture formerly required 300 prints, 600 are needed now to play the same number of theatres as were formerly serviced .by half that amount. In addition, the tremen- dous light required for the show- ing of depth pictures has often caused film to buckle, requiring re- placement of footage. Extra ex- (Continued on page 16> Distribs OK $4 Boost For Exchange Unions In Cleve., Denver, Atlanta First break in the deadlock between distribs and exchange unions in negotiations for a new pact took place this week. Agree- ments were reached in Cleveland, Atlanta and Denver calling for a $4 across-the-board Increase. New* pacts, expected to be inked shortly, will succeed the two-year agreement which expired last No- vember. This was the first time since 1946 that the exchanges bargained with distribs on a local basis. Previously Richard F. Walsh, prexy of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, negotiated one contract applicable to all the exchange unions. While the settled agreements may serve as a pattern for other zones, the two New York exchange Outfits—Local H-63 and Local B-51, representing white collaiites and backroom employees respectively— have indicated that a $4 hike would not be acceptable. Both locals, which have requested strike per- mission from prexy Walsh, will make another attempt to settle the stalemate, this time with a repre- sentative of the parent body taking part in the talks. Walsh has assigned international ncp Joseph Basson as the trouble shooter. Basson is expected to set up a date later this week with the distribs for a renewal of the talks. Metro Demands UAT Spend More Ad Coin Hollywood, April 21. Metro and the United Artists Theatre Circuit are in a hassle, with the studio accusing the chain spending too little coin on ads »°r local openings at the Egyptian and Loew’s State Theatres. Un- derstood Metro feels that too much of the circuit's weekly ad appro- Pl 7 atl0r f goes into fixed salaries and other charges and hot enough into newspaper advertising, r, j re sult, the chain has been that, unless a satisfactory settlement Is reached, Metro will Sk? p * su PP°rt of openings at two houses after the bow of ./:^ e Giri Who Had Everything" and Confidentially Connie/* Grady Aide to Thao In M-G Casting Shift Hollywood, April 21. Metro shifted Billy Grady, head of the studio casting department for years, to become special assis- tant to Ben Thau, veepee in charge of talent Deal calls for Grady to tour Europe, starting May 1, in quest of new faces. Meanwhile Leonard Murphy, Robert Webb and Mel Ballerino will continue as associate casting directors, with Thau supervising. A1 Trescony will function as head HEFTY RELEASES With the summer months estab- lished as a solid b.o. period, distribs are readying some of their heftiest product for release during the hot weather season. July and August will see a number of major efforts going through the distribution mill, aided considerably by the lure of top marquee names. In general, the product is weighted on the musical and .adventure side, although there is a sprinkling of drama and straight comedy. The tuners and outdoorers are lavish productions enhanced by Technicolor or other tint processes. Despite the excitement over 3-D of the studio department, dealing I with nf»urftmr»rt 1 ^ carry the major portion Lengthy Lull In Story Market Preoccupation with 3-D and widescreen pix has caused a pro- longed lull on the story market, according to the companies' story department execs in N. Y. The studios are. buying fitfully, and strictly with an eye for possible adaptation to the new processes. Since many of the studios have quite a backlog of story properties, they’re going through their prior purchases with a fine tooth comb to pick out the ones that might be suitable for lensing in a new medi um- ' Several execs report that March has been their slowest month in many a year, which they attribute to L their respective studios trying to find their bearings In the maze of new technological developments. This is particularly true of 20th- Fox and Warner Bros. Metro and Paramount story purchases have been insignificant, with M-G only picking up a few short stories. While 3-D has been a decisive factor in bringing about the story- buying hesitancy, the lack of activi- ty is also partially ascribed to the quality of the material available. “There is no difference in the buy- ing market now and when the industry felt it was beginning to lose revenue," one story depart- ment exec said Monday (211. “The trouble is that there are simply few purchaseable stories on the market This doesn’t include a few of the good novels and plays which cost a lot of money and which would be bought anyway, whether the industry has 2-D or 10-D.” He added that the prev- alence of avant-garde wTiting was forcing the companies to rely more heavily on originals. of the load during the sweltering stanza." There will be a few depth pictures in circulation at that time, but they'll serve as b.o, plusses rather than the main source of summer biz. It’s doubtful that wide- screen will have much effect during the period, although it’s conceiv- able that some theatre may install systems capable of converting fiats to larger areas, such as that cur- rently being installed by the Radio City Music Hall, N. Y„ for the showing of Paramount's "Shane." Another indication that the flats will still be king is the important parts played by seasonal theatres in resort areas, and by drive-ins. With the former catering to what almost amounts to a captive audi- ence, especially on rainy days, it’s doubtful that they’ll need 3-D to entice customers. The seasonal as- pect of the operation also precludes the shelling out of additional coin for the installation of costly new (Continued on page 21) Souvaine Quits in Huff; Invites Stockholders To Join Him in Suit Cinerama Chi Bow In July; 45% Hiked Screen for LA Run Deal has been closed for the unveiling of Cinerama in Chicago, with the Palace Theatre set to re- ceive the three-dimensional illu- sion process late In July. This marks the fourth showcase for Cinerama. Company is already displaying “This Is Cinerama," its initial entry, in N. Y. and Detroit, with a Hollywood opening slated for April 29, featuring a screen 45% larger than the others. Joseph Kaufman, Cinerama’s exhibition topper, concluded the Palace deal in Chicago yesterday (Tues.) and were back in N.Y. same night. Originally, Chicago was slated to follow N. Y. in the chain of open- ings planned by Cinerama. How- ever, a hassle developed with the projectionists union, which de- manded as much as $200 weekly for the bbbthmen. When a stale- mate was reached, the Palace, al w . . ... , though set to be converted to the Having resigned as prexy anddi- * medium, returned to a convention- rector of Souvsine Selective Pic* j picture policy, times, Henry Souvaine yesterday House is reportedly committed for (Tues.) called on stockholders to product until some time in June, join* him in a suit against a finance s hut down during the month company which, he said, has caused w jj en conversion process will the company to suffer substantial 1 g e ^ under way. Cost of retooling damage” through failure to honor house and installing the new a commitment of about $370,000. Souvaine identified the finance out- fit as American Ventures Corp. Souvaine resigned from the board April 13 when certain of the directors "with dual responsibili- ties" voted against his motion to in- stitute action for damages vs. American Ventures Corp. “By re- maining on the board my hands were necessarily tied, but now, purely as a stockholder, I am in- viting all other stockholders to join .me in approval of the suit," Souvaine stated. He expects to go to court within a week. •Edmund Cobb returns to UI, after an absence of 20 years, for a featured role in “Ma and Pa Kettle Hit the Road Home." equipment is estimated at about $50,000, which is about what the (Continued on page 21) UA&AA Squawk on Share of 146 Pix Japs Allocate to U.S. Importers ‘Ceasar’ in N. Y. May Bow At Booth, Shnbert House "Julius Caesar," Metro's film version of Shakespeare’s tragedy, appears to be headed for the Booth Theatre, N.Y., legit house owned by the Shuberts. Opening, which will be the world preem, is slated for late May following the legit engagement of Bea Lillie at the theatre. Presentation of “Caesar” will follow a legit policy, with reserved! seats on a two-a-day basis. Talks] with the Shuberts also involve houses operated by the legit circuit in other citjps. No CinemaScope Set for Far Pix Paramount at present is not planning to use CinemaScope for any of its pix, Barney Balaban, Paramount prexy, said in N. Y. last week (15). He added, how- ever, that this should make little difference to exhibs who, once they have installed a large screen, are in a position to show films In any medium. Balaban disclosed that his studio is currently preparing a brochure for exhibs, outlining spe- cific data on screen installations for any size theatre and review- ing the various 3-D and widescreen developments “in an effort to bring some orderly thinking into the current confused and confusing situation." Regarding the announced plan of 20th-Fox for eventual release of its library of old pix to TV, Balaban indicated the wording of the plan was too vague to cause much concern. At the same time, he recalled his statement in r testi- fying before the Federal Communi- cations Commission last year, when he said that Paramount, too, would consider selling to TV if and when it proved its ability to meet the asking price. While most of the distribs in N. Y . this week appeared satisfied with their cut of the 117 import permits allocated to individual companies by the Japanese gov- ernment, United Artists and Al- lied Artists are beefing about the size of their allotment. Rest of the distribs have already indicated to Tokyo they aren’t willing to take any reductions in their slice to satisfy the two dis- sidents. Total Japanese allocation to U. S. importers for the fiscal year (which started April 1) was 146 pix. Of these, 121 go to Motion Pic- ture Assn, of America member companies and the rest to local Japanese distribs for indie produc- tions. Of the 121, four come off the top and go to Universal, Re- public, UA and AA, since these four missed out when the MPAA divvied up six leftover permits earlier this year. Allocation for the 1952-53 fiscal year gave the MPAA distribs 122 pix. Current 121 total actually is boosted to 129. That’s because the new agreement—reached fol- lowing prolonged powwows in Tokyo between MPAA rep Irving Maas and the Japanese Finance Ministry — provides for an addi- tional eight “bonus" pix to be al- located on the basis of “artistic merit.” It’s understood the current allo- cation, undertaken by the Japa- nese Ministry at the request of the American distribs, divides up like this: Metro 17, 20th-Fox 15, Warner Bros. 14, RKO 12, Univer- (Continued on page 18) Pix Conversion Sees Sharp Dip in Lenser Jobs Hollywood, April 21. Film industry’s conversion to 3-D and widescreen has causfed the low- est ebb in employment of leasers since the postwar slump in 1947. Herb Aller, business agent of Cam- eramen’s Local 659, AFL, reports that approximately 350 of the lo- cal's 750 members are out of work, with little sign of improved condi- itions for at least six months. Eric Johnston Reports To MPA; U.S. Pic Deals With Italo-BranI Off? Contrary to impressions prevail- ing in N.Y. a few weeks ago, the U. S. industry now appears not to have film deals either in.Italy or in Brazil. . Eric Johnston, Motion Picture Assn, of America prexy, returned to N. Y. from Rome last Saturday (18) without having been able to overcome Italian government ob* jections to an increase in remit- tances from the former 37%% to 40%. j He reports today (Wed.) to the company prexies and the MPAA board on his Italian negotiations | and the current position. Johnston had been given carte blanche in shaping a new Rome pact. Brazil situation is equally un- clear, and has remained muddled since Johnston returned from there and Argentina late last year. Remittance of some $8,000,000 in accumulated coin in Brazil still awaits finalization of the $300,- 000.000 Import-Export Bank loan. While the Brazilians have issued import licenses for the second half of '52, there are no indications at this moment at what rate, or to what extent, the distribs will he able to withdraw their current earnings. Anti-Snipping Forces CaD for End of Censor Law at Ohio Hearing Columbus, April 21. Attack against Ohio’s film cen- sorship law on strict constitutional grounds was made before the Sen- ate Education Committee hearing last night (Mon.) on a bill by its chairman, Sen. Charles A. Mosher, to repeal the state's 40-year-old law. James Ratliffe, v.p. and col- umnist for the Cincinnati En- quirer, said the basic issue “is that it is impossible to abridge the right of freedom of the press and speech.” Columnist, who said, he had not seen movies in six months, pointed out that morality was be- side the point in this question. “Ohio’s film censorship law was unconstitutional when it was made and it is unconstitutional now," he charged, .because it transgressed the constitution. Ratliffe stated that the U. S. Supreme Court in- tent in the “Miracle” case obvi- ously made this point without ren- dering a specific ruling. Norman Nadel. film editor of the Columbus Citizen, told sena- tors that film scissoring is “prior censorship” and that other laws and the Johnston office protect the people from immoralities, obsceni- ties, libel and slander. He criticized the 1913 law as “ambiguous” and that the censor board operated (Continued on page 21) COL QUARTERLY MELON Columbia Pictures last week de- clared a quarterly dividend of $1.06% per share on its $4J25 cu- mulative preferred stock. Melon is payable May 15 to stockholders of record May 1. DeMille to Aid State Dept On O’seas Film Handling Villanova, Pa., April 21. Dr. Robert L. Johnson, president of Temple U. and new head of the State Dept.’s International Infor- mation Administration, said he would bring in Cecil B. DeMille to study the State Dept.’s handling of films as a means of getting across our ideas to other countries. Entrance of DeMille into the set- up is part of Dr. Johnson's plan for a complete reorganization of the U. S. Information offices. The educator said DeMille had agreed to come to Washington, where the producer “will l&?k into the whole operation and suggest individuals who might be brought in^-to , strengthen it."