Variety (April 1953)

Amusement Stock Quotations flV.Y. Stock Exchange) For Week Ending Tuesday ( 28 ) ♦Actual Sales {Quotations furnished by Dreyfus & Co.) Causing comment in Washington is the gloves-off reply by counsel for the majors to a petition filed with the Supreme Court by Abram F. Myers, general counsel for the Allied States Assn. Allied sought permission to* file an amicus curiae brief supporting the suit of the indie Milwaukee Towne Theatre, opposing competitive bidding. Brief for the majors, opposing this action, let fly with the following: “For a number of years, so-called independent exhibitors, such as comprise the membership of Allied, have been loud champions bf competition for forensic purposes, because that pose has unlocked the door to a golden treasure of treble damage claims against distributors and the theatre companies with them. Outside the courtroom, how- ever, these same exhibitors consistently have displayed marked cool- ness toward the idea of competition when it directly involves them. “In some other case, the members Of Allied may be given an oppor- tunity to advocate their apparent belief that under the anti-trust laws they should be protected against competition—that the Federal courts should use the Sherman Act as a means of imposing quasi-public utility Status upon motion picture distributors. This case, however, is not an appropriate forum for such an argument.” Radio City Music Hall, N. Y., preemed Paramount’* "Shane” on its new, flat 50x30 screen: last week (23) and came up with what’s regarded as a definitely improved pic, particularly in the scenic shots in which the George Steven* production abounds. Screen’s 1.66 to 1 aspect ratio occasionally clipped Images, top and bottom and a certain amount of light loss was noticeable, particularly in low-key scenes, but these are figured minor blemishes. Site of the Hall makes the larger surface so acceptable that it’s difficult to imagine a smaller screen ever having been in use there. Paramount players who toured Korea recently are given a special accolade in the recent issue of a G.I. newspaper there, because they put .on their scheduled shows for troops despite unusually tough con- ditions. Audrey Dalton, Joan Elan and Kathryn Grandstaff won par- ticular favor with the Tropic Lightning News for doing a bathing-suit routine, although temperature was at the freezing level. ‘‘Performance was above and heyond the call of duty, commented the paper, which is printed by the 25th Infantry Division. - . | Museum of Modem Art film library in N, Y. doesn’t own any of the Charlie Chaplin pix, other than several of his old shorts, to which the actor doesn’t have the rights. Sometime back, a Museum exec picked up a "hot” print of "The Kid” in Italy and brought it back to N. Y. Museum, then wrote to Chaplin, asking whether it couldn’t keep the pic. Chaplin replied in the affirmative but with one stipula- tion. The Museum could only show "The Kid” as it found it—with Italian subtitles. Council of Motion Picture Organizations, while having conducted the fight against the 20% Federal admission tax, is hot taking any bows for the press support given the industry. Numerous papers. Particularly in N. Y., published editorials pitching for Congressional axing of the tax. These were either spontaneous, or inspired by indi- ..viduals such as Mort Sunshine, exec director of the Independent Theatre Owners Assn. COMPO, all through the tax campaign, nixed ahy maneuvering for public support, via-the press or otherwise. - Carrying coals to Newcastle has its counterpart in Hollywood, where Columbia is shipping live cocoanut palm trees to Honolulu for use in "Miss Sadie Thompson.” While the Islands have plenty of trees, the Columbia trees are made of plastic and are so light that two men can move them around. They can be shifted easily to locations where they are needed. V - — Paramount is following through on its plan to introduce new stars, J’la specially-made trailers, as first done with Rosemary Clooney in Stars Are Singing.” Briefie pic has been made now presenting Pat Crowley, who appears in the upcoming "Forever Female.” , Films’ new era is having its influences on matters 'outside the pic business, including terminology for transvestites. Group of Baltimore *h?n ( arrested last- week in connection With automobile theft, also were questioned on their wearing of femme apparel. They explained they're members of the "third sex.” Police court magistrate commented, ■kow we’ve gone into the third dimension.” One of the advantages Of having Arlene Dahl assigned to a film is tiein possibilities with the lingerie outfit headed by the actress. Arlene pahl Lingerie Co. is now introducing a pajama set, which the . . T . a ^designer adapted from one of her costumes in "Desert Legion,” Universal pic.iftif which# «h^«0*tars with Alan Ladd. 54 * ov .* ‘SUCKER’TO SELL PIX TO TELE: OHIO EXHIB Columbps, April 28. Robert A, Wile, exec secretary of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio, lashed out in his bulletin to exhibs last week at both the Spyros Skouras and Herbert J. Yates announcements on selling of films to TV. Calling the Skouras statement that 20th Century-Fox will sell its 900 picture backlog to TV "pre- mature,” Wile asks, "What exhibi- tor would be foolish enough to buy Fox’s current product and charge people for it, when the same com- pany’s pictures, with the same! stars, can be seen on TV for noth- ing?” . He wrote that Yates, Republic’s prez, "is not merely as bashful as Skouras. He has come right out and said that the future of his com- pany lies with* TV. That being the case, any exhibitor. who buys Re- public pictures is nothing more or less than a sucker.” Wile says a stockholder asked Yates if any exhibitors had com- plained about the sale of pictures to TV and quotes him as saying, "Ob, we had one or two, but we didn’t pay any attention to -them.” Wile asked theatre owners to write to Yates, so that at the next stock- holders’ meeting "he’ll have 101 or 102 complaints/’ view.” Since "Cohn, a hater of Communism, deserved as much as any man a chance to explain to his employers in a private conference that Communists had affiliated him with them by stealing his name and his works,” then Legion Commander Donald R. Wilson was tempted to call off. the cooperation campaign, but Metro apologized. The checking was turned over to “L. K. Sidney, a man of consider- able tact, adroitness, competence and sympathy.” Better conditions today are due to the 1947 N.Yr Waldorf-Astoria declaration in; which the “studios moved against some identified Communists,” and the "project of 1952” (Legion cooperation) which offered the "presumed innocent a platform to state their case/’ Pitkin says. public resentment is growing against "those who can- not be trusted not to feed Russia’s kitty.” He lauds United Artists for taking, a strong future position against the releasing of pix lensed overseas by persons connected with the Red probe. He mentions John Huston’s stand against using Com- munists in "BCat the Devil/’ lensed in Italy. Public Resentment “Part of the public resentment that has ruined Charles Chaplin’s ‘Limelight’ as a U.S. hoxoffice at- traction is the utter lack of any assurance that the receipts would not find their way into Communist tills.” He says the industry’s "trou- ble at the boxpffice” began when George Sokolsky and such organ- izations as the Legion "began to acquaint the public” with the hear- ing testimony. He reveals that before Legion submitted its compilation, Spyros Skouras huddled with Sokolsky, had begun to collect all available information, and "was inviting (his employees) to arm him with a writ- ten, signed explanation or a de-! nial.” Columbia’s Nate. Spin gold, Pitkin adds, said, "his studio had been doing just th$t for a year. Every studio, welcomed Commander Wilson’s invitation to compare notes in hopes of confining the Legion’s criticism to personnel whose studios could find no fac- tual defense for them.” . Article emphasizes the Legion has no nationwide policy on picket- ing and "has never once suggested to any post to picket any picture; On other hand# it does not ask posts not to picket. National or- ganization has no authority over such local decisions.” Legion will supply information to. Posts re- questing it, and "what happens is a reflection of how the record sits with the folks on Main Street.” He lauds Roy Brewer’s battle against the Communists, saying that 11 weeks after the Interna- tional Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees assigned him to Holly- wood he had "perceived what the industry had not seen clearly in 11 years.” Article says that of 409 persons in the Ins Angeles area identified as party members "288 ' .were la tfcetmovifes.* * 1 / -' Cinerama Brass Huddling on Ways No Hookey Here Hollywood, April 28. Something new in the educa- tional world is reported at the U. of Southern California-—col- legiate credits for looking at a film. Prof. Herbert Farmer, acting head of the Dept, of Cinema, said the advanced techniques of 3-D and WarnerPhonic sound are considered valuable film studies. So he advised his students to see “House of Wax.” ‘Dolts, Drunks & Doxies’ Inhabit‘Rouge,’Cabaret Squawks in Moulin Suit Hollywood, April 28. Battle of the Moulin Rouge is on again, with an amended complaint filed in Federal Court by attorneys for the Paris nitery against United Artists, Jose Ferrer, John Huston and others. New complaint abandoned its "Invasion of privacy” charge and substituted a claim of libel. It declares the film, "Moulin Rouge,” pictures the cabaret as a "rendez- vous for lewd, lascivious dolts, prostitutes, drunks and libertines.” 3-D Equipment Las Continued from page 5 ssJ shortage is frustrating exhibs who’d like to cash in on the stereo boom. It’s so severe'that conversion of Screening, room eqifipment at one of the major companies in N. Y. has -been held up for weeks pend- ing delivery of magazines. Manufacturer reps contend that a break in the availability of that equipment should come soon, since RCA and others now have com- pleted their retooling job and the product should come off the line in short order. Because of the novelty of stereo- phonic sound, which goes with both 3-D and widescreen systems, magnetic reproducers, of which a theatre must have a couple, are also hard to get. What eases this situation is the fact that the majori- ty of exhibs .are hesitant to order them because of the general im- pression that it won't be long before the added soundtrack will be transferred from a separate track to the regular film. Sound- head orders going through regular channels would not be filled until August, according to the dealers. Drought Of Wideangle Lenses Similar, squeeze exists, for the regular wideangle lenses, which a theatre must have to project stand- ard pix on large screens. Delivery on these lenses can’t be made in any quantity until mid-summer. This, together with unavailability of all-purpose screens, precludes any chance of theatres going in for wholesale widescreen projection of standard product In immediate future. „ Situation is different for the Cinemascope prisms; With Bausch & Lomb turning them out in this country, these lenses should be in plentiful supply by fall. Oqly major 3-D item on which there is no shortage are selsyn motors, which keep the two pro- jectors running in synchronization. General Electric last week (23) announced it was increasing selsyn production 300% to fill the more than 2,000 orders received from theatres. Motors cost about $100 a piece, and two are needed in the projection booth. Print Cost L,j Continued (tom page * dling and special departments for the shipping of the Polaroid glasses. Special preparations also have to be made for theatres running one, two, or three Intermission shows, a factor that contributes to added distribution charges. According to present setup for 3-D films, Inter- mission shows are necessary except in large theatres equipped with four projectors. This; however, is a rarity, since'barely a handful of houses have fhtur $rbjdetdi& Important policy confabs, involv- ing Cinerama's future, are cur- rently taking place In New York, Sessions mainly pertain to the company’s production plans which have had considerable difficulty in getting off the ground. Taking part in the meetings are production chief Merlon Cooper, prexy Dudley Roberts, Jr., and exec veepe* Frank Smith. Although Cinerama continues to equip and open theatres fpr the presentation of tthe medium, it* production schedule has lagged far behind. There have been unofficial reports of proposed production, but the company has yet to make an announcement that it is work- ing on a picture. As far as could be determined, there is absolutely no filming activity at its Coast headquarters. Some location foot- age has been shot for a proposed picture, but it hasn’t gone beyond that stage. There’s been talk of a Cinerama version o£ the recent Broadway musical, "Paint Your Wagon,” but there’s been no indi- cation of any actual work. Company reportedly has been , talking a deal with Warner Bros., whereby the latter would shoot a * film in the Cinerama process. Al- though a WB homeoffice spokes- man denied that Warners had any such plans, be indicated that there was a close tie between Cinerama execs and the Warner, top echelon. Under terms of its pact with Cin- erama, Inc., the manufacturing outfit, Cinerama Productions ha* the right to enter deals for pic- tures with outflde companies. Although Cinerama has been ac- cepted by most crix as superior to Cinemascope, it's no secret that the 20th-Fox-deyeloped medium is causing some concern among the Cinerama brass. There’s realiza- tion that the processes are similar, and that there will soon be a com- petitive market. While' it’s initial entry. "This Is Cinerama,” is play- ing to smash business in New York and Detroit and has a hefty ad- vance for today’s (Wed.) opening in Los Angeles, it’s understood that the company feels it will have to get going on a followup film pronto to maintain its position. Company is gearing itself for long runs in all situations. While it may be able to run in New York for two years, other cities may require * quicker changeover of attractions. The equipping of the- atre* still takes a hefty chunk of coin. The equipment alone runt to about $100,000 a theatre, with installation charges amounting to about $40,000. Need Quick Decisions One of the problems reportedly faced by the company Is getting quick top echelon decisions. When Louis B. Mayer was named board chairman, it was expected that the company would receive impetus through the guidance of an ex- perienced film man. However, Mayer has been ailing and hasn't been playing as active a part in Cinerama’s management as had been expected. There have been reports, vehemently denied, that Mayer may soon exit the company. Meanwhile, company is proceed- ing with its exhibition plans which call for the opening of about 20 theatres by the end of the year. With its L. A. opening set for to- day (Wed.) and Chicago slated for July, it’s expected that Cinerama will shortly close a deal for Stan- ley Warner’s Boyd Theatre in Phil- adelphia. Latter will mark acquisi- tion Of the company’s fifth show- case. Joseph Kaufman, company’s exhibition topper, left for the Coast Friday (24) to attend the Coast opening and is expected back ip New York on Monday (4). Originally, production chief Cooper as well as home office top- pers Roberts and Smith were ex- pected to be on hand for the Coast preem, but were apparently de- layed by the important New York talks. M. S. DAVIS TO DENMARK Martin S. Davis, assistant ad-pub director for Samuel Goldwyn Pro- ductions, will leave N. Y. for Den- mark May 5, accompanying 25 winners of a "Hans Christian An- dersen” essay contest conducted by various newspapers, department stores and theatres. Davis will visit Rome'and Paris before re- tifriflfig tathe fiWflebffles.» 1 *