Variety (April 1953)

PIC PROD'N SIGHTS AIL-TIME LOW *B’ Gallopers Slow Thataway as TV Fear Of Prod. Scarcity Mounts As Hollywood, April 28. Headin' for the last roundup is ♦he cater— the low-budget hoss rinera that has been galloping that- awav ever since Hollywood was a rblt Once a prosperous type of film respohsible for the rise of manv a star and many a production executive, the “B” western is fac- ing extinction. Allied Artists is the only Holly- wood studio with concrete plans for continuation of oater production. A Vs schedule calls for eight per year four of which will star Wild Bill Elliott and four will topline Wayne Morris. Columbia still has Gene Autry under contract, but renewal of the pact is a question. A studio spokes- man said: “We are not signing a new contract with Autry until re- turns come in oh six of his pic- tures now in release." Republic has six more Rex Allen oaters on its program, but is not committed to any more when the contract ends. Future of Rex Allen, the studio’s other cowboy star, is uncertain. His opition comes up this week. Decline of the low-budget west- ern is attributed to mounting pro- duction costs and tele. Nowadays, jdds can see theirWestern stars for nothing in old pictures or films made especially foi> TV. Meanwhile the high-budget dramas of the great open spaces are galloping merrily along. Dictator? No, Sez Texas Exhib; He Only Ups Tix Tabs for Delnxe Films Dallas, April 28. R. J. O’Donnell, veepee and gen- eral manager of Interstate Theatre Circuit, Inc., has denied here that Interstate dictates film prices in Texas. Hts denial followed a statement made in Washington by Col. H. A. Cole of Dallas, complaining to Con- gress that Interstate set. the prices Texans must pay for their screen fare. O’Donnell said, “I deny categori- cally that Interstate Theatres is a dictator of. movie admission prices in Texas; or that we agree with the producers of motion pictures to charge advanced prices, or con- spire to set movie prices in Texas. “Because we operate theatres in the four largest cities of Texas 1 — Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Forth Worth—we exhibit motion pictures generally ahead of the other cities in the state. It is? therefore, natural that what we do m our theatres gener ally sets *an example foj* the rest of the state.” O’Donnell said when he nego- tiates for exhibition of costly road- show, pictures, like "Quo Vadis,” he must pay two and three times as Much film rental as for an. ordinary “bn. The producer of such a pic- t^\ anc * exhibitor, he said, is entitled to make a profit on these superior pix, and in order to do so, it is necessary to advance admis- sion prices. Col. Cole said, "I am anxious to tContinued on page 18) re a- TOA Picks Chairmen For Nov. Chi Confab Chicago,' April 28. Committee chairman of the 1953 convention and trade, show of The- atre Owners of America at the Conrad Hilton Hotel here, Nov. *1-5, were named last week by con- vention topper David Wallerstein. Meeting of the chairmen and officials from TOA’s New York ! headquarters'will be held at tfie [ end of May, at Which time the con- vention plans will be finalized. This year the TOA trade show will be combined with that of the The- atre Equipment and Supply Manu- facturers Assn. ' From 3-D Fancy Hollywood, April 28. Industry may destroy itself if it tries to “fly off in all directions at once/' Mitchell Wolfson, past prexy of Theatre Owners of America, de- clared in a speech amplifying the keynote warning that Hollywood must standardize the new produc- tion-projection 'systems which So-, ciety of Motion Pictures & Tele- vision Engineers prexy Herbert Barnett sounded in opening the 73rd semi-annual conclave at the Statler Hotel. Importance of meet, which will emphasize 3-D, other new pro- cesses, drew registration of more than 800 including members from seven countries as far away as India, Japan, Brazil. Total regis-< tration is expected to exceed 1 , 000 . Barnett pointed out the motion picture engineer must assume vast new responsibilities and act. as stabilizing element in over exploit- ation of hasty conclusion prompted by competitive ambitions in the absence of overall industry consid- erations. He said the Society is ready to cooperate with a research counciL He emphasized that Un- less the chosen system is supported by high quality pix, no new process of exhibition will revive the in- dustry: Wolf son said exhibs, are so romanced, cajoled, high-pressured and in some measure deluded that the majority are confused by con- flicting claims and assurances. “What we want is to separate fact from fancy, the workable from the impractical. On the heels of a supposedly authoritative announce- ment that present 3-D is no good (Continued on page 24) EK SALES BOOSTED U% FOR 1ST’53 QUARTER Eastman Kodak sales for the first quarter of 1953 ended March 22 were approximately $133,500,000, an increase of about 11% over the T If ... r | an increase oi auuui xn.o uvc*. me 1 0 1K6 OD Middle Esst - comparable period in ’52, Thomas . Washington, April 28. M tnC r-^ ns ^ ott reported to Pres- ent Eisenhower yesterday (27) on vLPoint 4 survey in the ^IPAA prexy, recently back diii 1 a f ur bpean trip on film in- business, also w r ent into and several of the Arab un-nes for the Point 4 program, Grainger to NX Grainger, president of inM' r f5 unls 1° the homeoffice studfo 11 a * ter a mont h at the st °PPing off at various ex- ^ y n ° e ce ntres en route back to rJ. Hargrave, EK board chairman, told stockholders at the annual ! meet in Flemingtoh, N. J. yester- day (Tues.). Increase in photo- graphic sales has been particularly pronounced. Stockholders Teelected the fol- lowing to three-year terms: George H. Clark; Dr. C. E. Kenneth Mees; James F. Bell and Charles K. Flint Hargrave said the weighted av- erage of prices of all EK product for the first '53 quarter was about 29% over August, '39 and the same as the average at the end of *52. EK has budgeted $40,000,000 for plant and equipment improvement for '53, according to Hargrave. That J is $8,000,000 more than was spent I for that purpose in *52. j By MIKE KAPLAN Hollywood, April 28, Film production, down 11% in the first quarter of the year, prob- ably will hit an all-time low in 1953 | as studios wrestle with the prob- lem of conversion to 3-D or wide- screen systems, or both. Bleak prospects for remainder of the year underline the tremendous switch in. industry thinking in a space of weeks. As of Jan. 1, 1953, scheduled production by majors and independents alike totaled 366 pictures, an increase of 12 over last year. Today, best available esti- mates indicate the total output will be considerably under the 300- mark, unless there is a sudden re- turn of optimism. r No 1 ' accurate forecart can bp made at this time of independent production for remainder of the year. The majors, however, now anticipate fewer than 250 pictures for 1953—and most studios con- cede that the . total may be closer to 200 on the basis of present in- activity. Warner Bros, is now in a state of suspended animation, while studio execs study public reaction to* “House* of Wax.” Universal-Inter- national will take a three-week pro- 1 duction hiatus, starting next week, t RKO is still virtually at a stand- still. Metro has only two pix bn its schedule , in the immediate fu- ture, althoughsome production an- nouncement should be forthcoming within the next week, as result of visit here of company topper Nich- olas M. Schenck. Hollywood indecision was graph- ically limned in a survey conducted by Richard Breen, president of the Screen Writers Guild, in an effort to determine what writing oppor- tunities would be available to SWG members this year. Reports from the eight majors provided a pic- ture of between 155 and 180 films tentatively scheduled, in addition to approximately 60 which have gone before the cameras in the first three months, of the year. Survey reflected top level uncer- tainty as to public reaction to the various new technological ad- vances, and most studios indicate they will utilize all available hew (Continued on page 12) Metro-Loew’s Broom 9 Fab-Ad Staffers In Latest Economy Move As part of an economy move, Metro and Loew’s are cutting down on their pub-ad departments, with a total of nine staffers being dimissed this week. Four Metro flacks were given their notices yes- terday (Tues.), with their employ- ment terminating Friday (1). Staffers dropped were shorts subjects publicist Max Weinberg, advertising copywriter Sig Maitles, writer Marguerite Tazlaar and pro- motion man Steve Davis. Metro staffers were not members of any publicists union, but are expected to receive double severance pay. Earlier Loew’s theatres pink- slipped artists David Weisman and Bill Graziano and publicists Sam Horowitz, Bob Martin and Jerry Linden. Staffers all received double severance pay as well as vacation coin. Jessel No Optician Minneapolis, April 28. In Minneapolis on the United Jewish Appeal’s behalf, George Jessel told the press he plans to produce independently “Rip Van Winkle" for the -films, with Jimmy Durante as Rip and Helen Traubel as Mrs. • Rip. “It won't be a three-dimen- sional picture, because I'm in the word business,” said Jessel. “When I need glasses III send for an optician.” Loew’s Gotham Toppers To Coast for Huddles Loew’s top homeoffice brass leaves for the Coast tomorrow (Thurs.) by plane for a week’s con- fabs with studio officials on up- coming product and for a looksee at the company’s technical develop- ments. Coastbound are prexy Nicholas M. Schenck, theatre topper Joseph R. Vogel, sales chief Charles M. Reagan and pub-ad head Howard Dietz. Schenck returned over last weekend from a Florida vacation. Charles Moskowitz, treasurer and veepee who is the top homeoffice exec during Schenck's absence, takes off for a Florida vacation to- morrow. International chief, Arthur Loew, will also attend the Coast meeting. 9 i Charles Green, dissident 20th- Fox stockholder currently em- broiled in a proxy, fight with the 20th management, is dropping per- sonal charges against 20th prexy Spyros P. Skouras as part of his bid for -proxies. In fact. Green de- nies ever having accused Skouras of anything but company “misman- agement.” Green’s puzzling position is evi- dent from his latest proxy letter, which he started, mailing Monday (27). It is confirmed by his rep in N. Y>, who added the personal charges would be “difficult to doc- ument.” According to Skouras, Green has j accused the 20th topper of profit- ing when the company called in its convertible preferred stock; own- ing 40% of Eidophor, and making money out of divorcement. In his special message to stockholders last week Skouras labelled these charges “categorically untrue.” It's now Green's contention that there was some misunderstanding. He says that in one specific in- stance at. least, it was Charles Skouras, and not Spyros Skouras, whom he pinpointed as having ben- efited from divorcement. In his proxy letter. Green main- tained it was “utterly ridiculous” to say he would liquidate 20th if victorious in his proxy fight. He said it was his aim to^ curtail apy phase of 20th operations “that could not be run profitably for the | stockholders.” Skouras, in his message to stock- holders last week (21) plugged for management’s proposal to end cu- mulative voting at the May 5 spe- cial stockholders meet at Wilming- (Continued on page 20) • SWG VOTES TO END SUIT OVER JARRICO CREDIT Hollywood, April 28. j Members of the Screen Writers Guild voted by an overwhelming score of 242 to 61 in favor of a board recommendation to drop the suit against RKO over screen credits for Paul Jarrico. j j As the situation now stands, the film producers have a right to dis- charge Communist scripters or any- one who refuses to testify before the Un-American Activities Com- mittee. Pickford Dallas Rally Dallas, April 28. Mary Pickford arrived here on Sunday (26) on her national tour to sell War Bonds. She will remain here until Wed- nesday (29) at the Hotel Adolphus. ' Despite distrib assurance of a flow of 2-D product, fear of a prod- uct shortage among subsequent-run exhibs continues to mount. These theatre ops contend that 3-D and widescreen films, plus pre-release pix, will leave them the “orphans" of the picture business. Suppo^, they ask, a first-run house with a 21-day clearance plays such films as “Peter Pan,” “House of ‘Wax,” ‘“Hans Christian Ander- sen,” or “Salome," all special-han- dling pix, just when will the films be available for c the sub-runs? Small ops maintain they’ll be shut out completely from hot product, or receive it at a time when its b.o. value is nil. Three-dimensional pix, made in both 3-D and flat versions, intro- duce a unique problem which even- tually will meet a head-on test. This involves bidding for a 3-D pic- ture by a house not equipped for the process but that desires it in the flat version. Situation hasn’t come up yet to cause a hassle, but Warner Bros., distributing “House of Wax,” already has received an inquiry seeking a clarification. Distrib, it’s indicated, will take the position that the picture is presently available only in the 3-D Version, and will not be ready for flat presentation until all 3-D houses in a given area have * had a crack at the film.. Columbia, which is releasing “Man in the Dark,” is also expected to follow this policy. Tradesters anticipate some lawsuits stemming from this situation, but feel certain that-the Courts will side with distribs. Another development of the 3-D | and widescreen era, it's figured, ; may be a realignment of first-run j status, with the large key houses I getting first crack at the 3-D, wide- j screen and big-budget flat product, while the subs become first-run.out- I lets for the non-special and small budget films. Despite Caution Re 3-D Retool, ‘Bwana’ Plays 500 Houses; Figure 500 More Although it has been released close to six months, “Bwana Devil” so far has been able to play in only about 500 theatres. Curious factor is that the film, which was the first 3-D’er, has been racking up outstandipg grosses where played, but theatremen still are hesitant about retooling for it. Adding further to the puzzle is ■ that switching to 3-D exhibition is cheaper than converting to any other new process. It costs exhibs, for the mosr part, ouly about $ 1 , 000 . United Artists, distributor of “Bwana,” figures there are now about 1,000 theatres set to project in 3-D. Many of these are first- run spots and converted subse- quent to the initial “Bwana” rim in their respective areas. Normal distribution pattern at UA has major releases about 75% played off in the domestic market after the first six months. Despite its abnormally slow playoff, “Bwana” continues as one of the distrib’s liveliest money-makers, with a weekly distribution revenue averaging close to $200,000. Stars to Kick Off Palsy Drive on B’way Tomorrow Stage, screen and TV stars will appear on Times Square tomor- row (Thurs.) to kick off the United Cerebral Palsy’s 1953 campaign for $7,500,000. They will participate in ceremonies from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Among those participating will be Sid Caesar, Arlene Francis, Gabby Hayes, Warren Hull, Jinx Faikenburg, Maria Riva, Jane Pickens, John Cameron Swayze; Dennis James and Marguerite Piazza. Greetings . will be read from Bob Hope, UCP national life chairman, and from Jack Benny and Bing Crosby. Latter is co* chairman.