Variety (April 1953)

3-K EQUIPMENT BOTTLENECK Exhib Orgs’ Despite enthusiastic reception of 20th-Fox’s Cinemascope and the b o. returns of Warner Bros/ 3-D “House of Wax,” exhib orgs rontinue to warn their members to go slow on installing new inuioment. Nabe and subsequent-run exhibs continue to take the cautious approach, although it appears’likely that the large key houses will install screens capable of presenting all the processes currently being pitched. , While the smaller exhibs concede that an all-purpose screen may be a solution to the current confusion, they envision other problems that couid conceivably add to the cost of their operation. Greatest fear of the small exhibs is that they may be forced to employ a stagehand. Latter would be required to handle the job of masking the all-purpose screen to make it suitable for reception of varied- nrocess product. With 20th' pitching Cinemascope; Warner Bros., polariod-type 3-D. and Universal,' Paramount; Columbia and possibly Metro their own-developed widescreen methods, exhibs are in a tizzy. They feel there should be some standardization of the widescreen process, without constant bickering about the various size screens. Their point is that it doesn’t make any difference if there is variance of a foot or two in screen size as long as the overall effect is the same. •• • • COMPO Armed With Research Ammo, Legion Lauds Hwood KO to Reds; oW Bottleneck in production of all- 1 onrp PJ T O V D A I /\iuiuu£ii uiiiiBa <tic tcuauny purpose screens, film magazines J|f U £I1 (kL 1Z~1 ftMT DHI1 Oil better in Hollywood today,” be- A J 1 i. 1 • ' ^ I Attica r\f etitrllA-T ACfiAn AAAnnpn. Hollywood, April 28. Although “things are certainly and stereophonic sound equipment is currently throwing the 3-D pic- ture out of focus. Manufacturers are working overtime to catch up with the sudden demand, but, for . _ - n cause of studio-Legion coopera- Advertising by Scnbes Hollywood, April 28. cess short of entire domination of Screen Writers Guild voted to movies for 13 years,” Robert B. C. Tax the present at least, are lagging abolish its ban on advertising, es- Pitkin declares in the May issue of hopelessly behind. tablished 12 years ago. Majority American Legion Magazine in an Shortages are harder on exhibs, of the members decided that pub- article summing up the coopera- who Want to play 3-D or magnified Ucity is an important asset to a tion between the vets’ group and conventional pix, than they are on professional writer. the industry on correlating infor- theatres willing to sit back and As a result of the SWG Action nation on persons named in the wait for Cinemascope. First Cine- Daily Variety dropped its anti- Red probe. Article, entitled “The maScope release, “The Robe,’ w'on’t trust suit against the Guild, Suit Movies and the American Legion,” be ready until October. By that had been filed on a friendly basis, emphasizes that the Legion never time the pressure will have eased, without asking damages, to estab- operated or sought a blacklist but and 20th-Fox is confident it can lish a principle. sought only to make available have about 1,000 houses equipped; ” “——: compilation of official records so Theatre supply dealers are • • M . coiTections could be made where throwing up their hands in despair D a A 1 *.|I~ necessary. at the flood of screen orders that | PI 11110 IlIXftS However, Pitkin adds that al- ii- * W/M Uiv A (law ■: t Washington, April 28. < Robert W. Coyne, special counsel for the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, and Albert, Sind- linger, head of the research analy- sis outfit which has been active in compiling film industry statistics, will be in Washington this week working w ith members of the; House Ways Sc Means Committee staff. .. 4 As a followup to COMPO’s pitch at last week’s hearing for repeal of the 20% Federal admission tax, Coyne and Sindlinger will be_on. hand to provide the House group with whatever additional data pertaining to industry economics that may be required. Meanwhile, execs close to the tax campaign say there’s no way to figure a timetable in handling of the repeal bill. After it’s voted out of the Ways & Means Commit- tee. it goes to the Rules Committee and then to the floor of the House. Having reached that point, the measure w;ould go to the Senate. CO.NTPO spokesmen remained in Washington during most of last week to continue buttonholing their legislators and pressing for action on the Mason bill to elimi- nate the 20% bite oil motion pic- ture admissions. However, there was no indica- (Continued on page 25) Pix Biz’s $108,000 For Brotherhood National Conference of Chris- tians and Jews’ recent Brother- hood Weed drive collected $108,486 from the film industry alone, Sol A. Schwartz, amusement industry national chairman, reported Mon- day i27>. That’s a gain of $27,288 over last year. Schwartz credited exhibs with the better showing. Theatres this year turned in $46,100 compared to $17,000 in ’52. Par Molls Widescreen, 3-D Short Subjects Pix . Leasing of short subjects is next jn line in the industry’s transition 10 new techniques. Paramount cur- [^ntly is experimenting with onefies in both 3-D and large- screen processes and will swing J? .9 ac tual production along these unes when “it becomes evident the market can carry them,*’ says Oscar .‘Organ. Par’s shorts and newsreel Wle s manager. However, no shorts in the new >stems are on the company’s up- ooming releasing sked. Morgan an- nounced a slate of 60 shorts for the th!. gimiil *S °ct. 1. 1953, plus i* standard rate of two newsreel ■^es per week. *u B ar handling 58 one-reelers in lino Cuircnt sea son thus the new too represenb5 an increase- of Chaplin’s ‘Status Quo’ On His 25 % UA Stock Slice Fact that Charles Chaplin' has not applied for a return visa to the United States, as announced by the Dept, of Justice, and the for- sale sign on some of the comedian- producer's properties, is accom- panied by a “status quo” on his j 25% stock interest in United Art- [ Jsts. There has_heen no—indica- tion from Chaplin or his reps of a possible bowout from the distribu-. tion company. . Incidentally, whether UA itself has first-refusal rights on the Chaplin stock, in the event he does decide to unload, has not been clearly determined, the legalistics being unusual in view of the vot- ing trust aspects of incumbent management's control. Import Cut May Snafu New U.S, Spain Pix Pact Spanish determination to give j added protection to its local in- dustry—by cutting dubbed Ameri- can imports and raising the al- ready considerable duties on U. S. pix—promises to complicate nego- i tiations for a new Spanish film agreement** Talks get underway in N. Y. later this week following arrival here today (Wed.) of Jose A. Jimenez-Arnau, head of .the Franco regime’s film subcommis- sion which runs the Spanish in- dustry. The last Spanish-American pact expired FCb. 28, and the Spaniards are known to be shooting for a new deal to start Aug. 1 While Ameri- can industry execs are under no Illusion about the difficulties of the talks, which are likely to be carried back, to Spain, they are also disturbed over prospect of not re- ceiving any new Spanish dubbing licenses until fall. They see this as another Spanish move to reduce outside competition for their own product. Under the last deal, the Amen- (Continued on page. 24) . - is inundating them in wake of Hollywood’s rush into stereo and widescreen. According to a spokes- man at National Theatre Supply, waiting «. period for all-purpose screens capable of showing pix in any medium now ranges anywhere from 16 to 20 weeks—“.and even then we can’t promise anything.” Exhibs can resort to sprayed screens, but they can’t be used for h a principle. sought only to ■ make available ——: compilation of official records so • coiTections could be made where Utrillo NlXCS "Howler. Pitkin adds that al- most as soon as the Legion made __ # information available to the Mmiftrack; On S*-*- studios to check on such delicate ff - m -i information.” This because Metro VvJaa I vo 1 In VO writer Art Cohn had a “perfectly ¥ IlIHlI 11 dllCrS innocent but unexplained associ- ation with a Communist news- oq paper (Communists had pirated Major filmPoetic? of * his n “P.y «fd Ul Co?f was fI pnper*. Pitkin said Cohn was Hollywood, April 28. projection of 2-D films, and taking ^ nirM.rP* fnr! paperiPitkin said Cohn was them down is apt to crack the' ^ showtag clips '4 ed into an interview with an SU Eaufnment houses admit that 24" f rom the films was jolted by James I unidentified Metro veepee and and 25 S film magazines. wMch are C. PetriUo. head of the American I h ^emanded “he be llquMa ed neoessarv for 3-D Droiection are Federation of Musicians. Prexy is- “ aQ nemanaea ne ut nquiuau.u necessarj ior a-u projecuon, are order hannint? the n«;e of I from industry.” scarcer than igloos in Haiti, This suea an order canning tne use oi . ^ “just (Continued on Daee 13) musical soundtrack on the clips. | xie said xnai L,onn, m a just ' • — —■ is--——- — Stnilrnc hero- irrdieated that thev4rage,—wrote Legion,.officials and. O.S. scarcer tnan igloos in nam, inis -——j.—, ° ,r —r. ~ } He said that Cohn in a “iust (Continued on Daffe 13) musical soundtrack on the clips.! ne said mat t,onn, in a just i Continued on page IJ ) Studfos here indicated that theHrfSejr...wrote Legion, ofijciajs and will continue the tieups without > Congressmen assailing the black- i * /VT7 • music 5 list,” an impression he could have Ob Solons OK ass %‘s Town,” which has been showing ■ I T|*ll clips of new film product every IT P ■ *1 11 *1 Anh-lensor Bui ss.’r ns UA Instribs Hail Warners, 20th-Fox, RKO, Para- Columbus, April 28. mount and Columbia have plugged : I I « The industry won the first round their product on the “Toast” pro-? |0|) ||lf|(|Af| plJH) Of its battle to abolish film cen- .gram. j •TttJT AllI|fvl l A ZCtll sorship in Ohio today (Tues.) when j n t h e past, the use of film; .. 4I . .. the Senate Education and Health music has been okayed each week I j a ^ ons . ^ j e committee of the Ohio state legis- by the Petrillo office. In his latest A ATtists—pleased over the lature passed the Charles A. Mo- move, Petrillo invoked a clause in j VV£ y in which the Japanese govern- sher anti-censorship bill by a vote the AFM contract with major stu- {rpent handled allocation of import of 5 to 3. One member of the dios stipulating that music record- j Hesses to the individual com- nine-man group was absent. ed for theatrical films may not be P anies * execs now hail the proce- Measure now goes to the rules used on TV without union permis- M* 11 ! 0 ?fL. a P. rac , ca wa '. out committee, and from there to the sion, and unless AFM collects 5% their difficulties in agreeing on a floor of the Senate and House. Ac- of the coin realized from TV. This divvying up of -permits. ^ . . .. _ I t 'rt K<vll AMvAM V l* l-K A /vlinil CaI Columbus, April 28. With all but one of the distribs—. floor of the Senate and House. Ac- of the coin realized from TV. This . _ tion is expected^in about two clause is based on the sale of film “S believed thSt the policy fol- weeks. Mosher bill would repeal to television. There is no coin in- Japan, at the request of pic scissoring in Ohio. Measure volved in the use of clips. distnbs, may set a pattern for has the vigorous support of theTn- Another reason is that musicians re . a !l° ca 4 ns in that country dustry via the Motion Picture Assn, working regularly in television and also for other areas. It s real- of America. have been complaining that the *zed that by leaving permit allot- Representatives of church groups, growing practice of free plugs was up t0 a I° rei Sn government which heretofore have remained cutting down their employment (which proceeds strictly on the quiet on the subject, came out opportunities. basis of local bfllings) some of the strongly and bitterly against the — : sma ler distribs may be hurt. bill in a committee hearing Mon- „ „ _ „ \ ^ ^ ^ com P a ° ,es ...«... U.S. Distnbs in France evns.^nce L the » S tVy ha v" Their attack came after the final witnesses in favor of the bill had testified. These included Robert A. Wile, executive secretary of the In- dependent Theatre Owners of Ohio, who pointed out that the industry basis of local billings) some of the smaller distribs may be hurt. At the same time, the companies consider this the lesser of tw r o evils, since in the past they have I evus, siJiLc xii iuc jJttbL uiey nave n* i if (1*0 PAA AAA ! been completely stymied in work- Sipoon Home SZ.DOU.UUu; i ing out an overall formula, under w i l nil If 1 w,lich licenses would be allocated Rarlflntr rrPPn bv n(lBV ; in N - Y - This has led to prolonged DdLlUUg ntnai llj "Wjjanrt time-consumin? hassles that } which licenses would be allocated Backlog treed by American distribs in France so \ left no one really satisfied. had tried to test the vahdity of the £ ar have transferred home, via a I n the case of the six Jap per- (Continued on page 24) variety of deals, approximately m j ts t h e distribs early this year 1,000,000,006 francs (about $2,500,- finally used the grabbag technique WinrCrDITN CUT CAD 000) under the current deal which j n determining who should get VT Il/ljuvflEJAii i/Jul rUR runs out June 30, ’53. This is them. And there was plenty of ACTMfMDDC’M V If A V DAW roughly 75% of the coin held in wrangling before it was finally de- rlFluUiu n.I.lUAI DU If capital accounts and represents ac- cided to let ,two leftover French PAinmWo'c nnn Wnwrc Af nr crued funds up to June 30, ’52. permits go to Loew's and Allied Columbia s 5,000 Fingere ofDr. if s expected that.by the end of Artists. T,’^ produced by Stanley Kramer, May and possibly earlier, entire! .. w ;U be presented on widescreen backlog will be cleared up, and ; . J U n .‘ilt companies wiU start to make deals j L0g2D-flayWard Mllll Cntenott' Theatre about the last j or Bowing Into capital ac- “ ; , counts from current eairqpgs. Original amount available for Of $1,000,000 Waste In Films Made for U. S. As part of the Eisenhower ad- ministration’s economy program, Federal authorities are planning an investigation of the Government’s film-making activities, it was learned this week. A survey is contemplated to de- termine if there is Waste and over- lapping in the production of pic- (Continued on page 20) . ,t r ~ — oacKlog will oe cleared up, anu j ■ «■ 1 ■* It ^ companies wiU start to make deals L0g2D-HayWard Mllll Critenon~~Theatre about the last £ dr flowing into capital ac- ^ ; . week m May. counts from current eairqpgs. . WHat D for PaT Pmfl. Criterion is mstaUing a 1:85 to 1 original amount available for WUOI W 1VI I al 1 1UU. screen. v “5,000 Fingers” was orig- even tual transfer came to 2,100,- Joshua Logan and Leland Hay- inally shot in the conventional 000 000 francs. Under the last ward* have pacted to coproduce a manner, but will receive panoramic F re nch film deal, $1,200,000 of this film for Paramount but haven’t de- effect via a projector lens attach- mone y w as remittable at the offi- cided whether it’s to be in 3-D, ment ciai rate, with the rest to be melted * widescreen or conventional “flat ” Presentation of “5,000 Fingers” via the capital account rate before Hayward said this week the pic will in widescreen marks the third there could be any deals for cur- roll at about the end of this, year i standard 2-D film to receive such rent revenue. and, he feels, the current dimen- treatment on Broadway, with the The remaining 1,600,000,000 sion uncertainty wiU have cleared process being used at the Radio francs ($4,000,000) could be taken and decision on which process U? mted to a mommy imancea Dy rar t aireciea uy Aurei Bay ” Latter wiU employ a 1:85 j 100.000.000 francl ($250,000). The! Hitchcock and will star Jame to 1 Screen, while Radio City-is j companies have elected the latter > Stewart. It will be based on a Coi using a 1:66 to 1 area. 4 (Continued on page 24) Inell Woolrich short story.