Variety (April 1953)

April 29» I9o3 PICTURES 25 » MM ( MWWHffffMi H I I M I f M l I 1 H H Mf dips From Film Row NEW YORK Ed Rosenfeld, formerly m a n ager of the Trans-Lux 85th St. Theatre, named city manager for the chaii^j in Boston. Bill Bromberg, Warner’s field Desert Hospital, Palm Springs, v3Ul, Louis Lutz, who managed the Penn and Victor in New Castle be- fore the Mirisch interests sold them to Norbert Stern, is now Castle. Dick Cvetic, who recently re- jomed WB. named manager of tlie Strand in the Oakland district. Nikitas D. Dipson, head of the hospital stay due to auto accident loew’s New York circuit an- nounced series of managerial pro- motions tliis week. Murray Lene- koff, who managed Loew’s Vic- toria moves to Loew*s State, sue-* •_ ., —7 —-- «»'• ceeding Sam PearLman who re-j T r i s0 ° ft circu1 ^ Just returned to signed to join Cinerama; Howard t t ; : S - blz tn P to signed to join McCoy leaves the National, Bronx and succeeds Lenekoff at Victoria. Seunour Brond, Fairmont, moves to National. Irving Gross, for- his native country of Greece. PHILADELPHIA merlv of the Victory, now closed ,' i ® Cinerama will becomes manager of the Fairmont, j arner B °y dthls Emery Austin, exploitation aide I r . hnef summer shutdown to Metro publicity manager Dan j f ^ cl ^i c i^ hang ? s *, . Terrell, recuperating from arm in- c# , eadon * suburban house, iurv sustained from a fall off a I stagedvaude experiment with show l 3 addei over the Weekend. j »««« Sloan, Paul Rich. Lou Weinberg, Columbia’s cir-! AGVA cuit sales manager, vacationing at j p .JJJ Deeiay Steve Allison. Ronev Plaza. Miami Beach. .! j ed Paramount Theatres re- Martin Maloney, treasurer and ■ P°^ e h reopening three shuttered general manager of Louis de f houses, the Roosevelt, Nixon and Rochemont Associates, planed toj A °" er * Britain last week to set distribu- Bklyn. Theatre Brings $750,000 Antitrust Suit Vs. 8 Majors, Distribs Eight majors and several theatre firms are named defendants in a $750,000 antitrust suit brought in N. Y. Federal Court Friday l24> by the Mindell Theatre Corp., opera- tor of the Bell Cinema in Brook- lyn from 1949 to date. It’s charged that the distributors (Conspired to exclude Bell from the feature film market by setting up a uniform system of runs and clearances. This conspiracy, complaint al- leges, was designed solely for the purpose of favoring certain local exhibitors, in order that they could monopolize showings of the majors* product to the detriment of the Bell. It’s also claimed that the distribs maintained a system of fixed admissions. Aside from the majors, the Rand- force Amus. Corp., Metropolitan Playhouses, Brandt Theatres and a subsidiary of Loew’s, Inc., are named defendants, among others. Loew’s. subsid is the Abingdon Amus. Corp., which operates the Kameo. Brevoort and Bedford The- atres, all in Brooklyn. Calvert Prep* East Africa 'Strange Horizons’ Pic Production of ’‘Strange Hori- zons” in Portuguese East Africa Is planned by John Calvert Produc- tions during June and July. Indie is said to be dickering with 20 th- Fox for Cinemascope lenses and, if It gets them, plans to shoot two versions, according to Howard Cagle, Calvert cameraman who leaves on the Queen Mary for Lon- don May 13 where he will join Calvert Productions prexy John Calvert and the cast. Pic will be lensed in Eastman color, Cagle said. Ann Cornell, Cal- vert's wife, is set for the lead in the pic which will have a predom- inantly British cast. Calvert will produce and direct. Film deals with the fabled ‘‘Elephants’ grave- yard” in East Africa. Spring in N.D.: 18 Inch Snow, Plane For ‘Bwana Print tion plans for the upcoming de Rochemont release, “Animal Farm. ” now nearing .completion in London. Lieut. Comdr. James F. Bishop, formerly with the -Naval Photo- graphic Center, Anacostia, Md., O V __ 4 # T1 rv a ST. LOUIS First outdoor showing in Mis- souri of a 3-D film, “Man in Dark” <Col» booked for ozoner operated near Potosi, Mo., by Harry Blunt. Patrons admitted free at relight- joined The Princeton Film Center 5 Box in Hutsonville, 111. J 1 « ... ▼▼ - I \Ia/1ai^ 4 - i • as a producer. Peter Henning, pre- viously a film supervisor with U. S. forces in Austria, named produc- tion control manager for the same firm. , Saul Jeffee, prez of Movielab, lac., planed to Coast last week for an extended stay. Clifford F. Potts, executive pro- ducer of'Fordel Films, back from a South American junket. CHICAGO Modem aircondition system in- stalled In the Majestic, Publix Great States unit in East St. Louis, 111 . Paul Stehman and Thomas Dan- 5 ner lighted their new ozoner near Winchester, I1L Stehman owns the Lyric in Winchester. George Faith, owner of the Linn , Linn, Mo., took over management of the 200-seater in Morrison. Mo., formerly managed by M. E. Rede- ker; house is owned by Modern Woodmen of America. C-. Justus Gerard, owner of thea- Hany Scars joined the Metro \ . - -- press department as field exploita- j 111 ,,Warsaw, Carthage, Dallas tion man City, all m Illinois, elected mayor Metro held midwest exploitation I of Warsaw by nine votes. Gerard, huddle here last, week on upcom ing releases. Stanley Levine transferred to National Screen’s Chi office after nine years on New York sales j there. a Republican, won in a normally Democratic community. Pirtle Amus. Co., Jerseyville, Dl., lighted its new ozoner near force. - Stella Biagone, owner of the Rex, DePue v 111., who leased the house to M. E. Hedges, took over operation of theatre. Leonard Grossman lighting the Arena this week. Palace installing a 26 by 76-foot screen for Cinerama and eliminat- ing 650 seats of the 2,500 to make room for projection booths. Harold Lawson is new manager of ozoner owned by Mattoon Thea- tres Co., situated near Mattoon. Mat Schulter, retired chief booker for Fanchon & Mareo-St. Louis Amus. Co., bedded down in a St. Louis hospital. MINNEAPOLIS Lyceum, legit roadshow house, offering Swedish film, “Pimpernel Svensson.” currently, will have world preem of “Martin Luther” C0MP0 Continues Continued from page 5 PORTLAND, ORE. City has had its 6 th hiked-price ■ next week, pic for the last month, with more * Here to boost savings bond drive, to come. j Mary Pickford participated in Mayfair manager Herbert Roys- \ parade and was guest of honor at ter^ had big campaign on opening J party. of “Moulin Rouge." j One of largest and most modern United Artists manager Jack ; theatres here, the 1,700-seat Palace, Braxton resigned to open a 500-car , operating in recent years with dual ozoner at Camas, Wash. j policy, sold by Bennie Berger; will tion whether the Administration would give the measure the green t light, and the following picture of! the situation emerged within the | House Ways and Means Committee itself. 1 If Rep. Daniel Reed (R„ N. Y.). j committee chairman, takes the*bill out of his pocket and lays it before the committee, it will get an over- whelming vote of approval. How- ever, the chances are strong that, before the bill emerges, it wall no longer be limited to motion pic- tures. Several members have j amendments to eliminate the 20 °c admissions levy from other amuse- ments as well. For example. Rep. Herman Eber- harter (D., Pa.) made clear at the hearing that he wants the tax taken over tickets for rides at amusement parks. Other members want it off college sports events, basebalL etc. None of this came out at the hear- ing last week, because Reed limited the session to motion picture the- atres only. Spokesmen for other amusements wrote to the commit- tee, asking an opportunity to be heard in their own behalf, but they have not been permitted to testify yet. The more comprehensive the tax slash bill turns out to be, the less chance it will have of getting any- where, in the opinion of experts here, because the amount of rev- enue lost to the Treasury will be greater. Keith Petzola handling publicity for J. j. Parker houses temporarily. be torn down for parking lot, Tossed back in their laps by United Paramount Theatres, which did not renew its lease, the Gran- ada, deluxe nabe house here, will be reopened by owners Rubenstein C’Scope Fee Continued from page 2 PITTSBURGH A1 Golin is new Metro exploita tion man in this territory, succeed- 1 & Kaplan as “fine arts theatre ing Herb Reed. Golin will head- j after temporary shuttering, quarter here and cover Cleveland United Paramount Theatres con- as well as Pittsburgh. verting Park. St. Paul nabe house. New F. D. (Dinty) Moore book- j in Jo commercial project, mg-and-buying office added Basle H. Barnett, associated with Cine- Circuit to its accounts. Moore i*! rama, to conduct symposium on the former WB district sales man- 3-D and widescreen projection at ager. North Central Allied’s annual con- Byron iBuck) Stoner, former {vention here May 4-5. Speakers at Metro manager here and in recent j meeting will include Wilbur Snap- years 20 th-Fox’s assistant western per and A. F. Myers, national Al- f. _ . . . « . 1? division boss, is a heart patient at; lied president and executive coun- ’ sel, respectively. New York Theatres MDIO CUT MUSIC MALI— Rockefeller Center AUN JEAN . VAN LADD ARTHUR HEFLIN •« GEORGE STEVENS'trodicfioft of e ^ “SHANE” ‘■• r ^ TECHNICOLOR • A Pinmo*nt Picture _ pfatttgnom me nosRARM BOSTON ai| Mr„«i * DIMENSION ilLi liMLttn m KM Russell Ordway, formerly man- ager of the Web, Weathersfield, Conn., took over as district man- ager for the Hub based Lockwood & Gordon, replacing Dick Darby, who resigned to become manager . of Post Drive-In, East Haven, I Conn. . „ j Edward Michaelobe, son of for- ‘ mer owner of a chain of New York \ theatres, assigned to 20 th-Fox’s ■■ Hub branch as apprentice. • Fred Katz. WB shipper for the last six years, upped to booker. " 1 For fourth consecutive year, Hy Fine. New England Theatres exec, appointed chairman for picture theatres in New England for forth- coming Cerebral Palsy drive. Charles Cifre, vet equipment man, returned to the biz. assem- bling and distributing 3-D maga- zines. make an undetermined number of films with the process. While simi- lar blanket arrangements with ? other studios are possible, indica- tions are that 20 th may prefer to lease its camera lenses on a pic- ture-by-picture basis. Fact that M-G has the inside track confirms the industry's im- : pression that the company has a j financial stake in Cinemascope. I Some months back, an M-G exec j stated at the company's stockhold- ' ers meet in N. Y. that M-G had ; helped develop the system. | Total of about $250,000 has so ? far been invested by 20 th in the j technical and research work for ' Cinemascope. Figure includes mon- ey paid to Prof. Henri Chretien, CinemaScope inventor. Lichtman said there were many applicants for CinemaScope cam- era lenses, but that he so far. had | been “very selective,” because “we \ want to make certain only the right .kind of pictures are made with the fsystem.” j Only company that approached j 20th for CinemaScope lenses, and jj got into actual negotiations, was ; Columbia. Latter reportedly nixed itlie proposition when informed of | the price. Execs at 20th point out ‘ that its lenses are going cheap in j comparison to Natural-Vision and | other 3-D cameras, which bring a | percentage in the pix which use ; them. Robert L. Lippert signed Pau- lette Goddard to star in “Sins of Jezebel,” with Reginald LcBorg di- recting.’ » ’ ~ M’w’kee Theatre Charges UA With Pix ‘Conspiracy’ Chicago, April 28. United Artists allegedly was party to the conspiracy to keep pic- tures from the Towne Theatre, Mil- waukee, a master-in-chancery re- port filed last week in Judge Wil- liam Campbell’s Chi Federal Dis- trict Court, by lawyer William Sal- tiel, charges. Report holds that the distributor refused to sell 30 pictures to the theatre, unless 200 shares of the latter's stock were put in escrow for UA. Attorney claims that deal was illegal, and said $ 10,000 worth of stock be returned to the thdatre at the original purchase price, plus in- terest. UA, on the basis of the stock, had been asking for one- third of share of the $ 1 , 000,000 antitrust suit that indie theatre won in 1950 from the»majors. Tom McConnell, Towne attorney, claims UA forced stock sale by the house. Deal was made in September, 1946, to be effective in January, 1947. UA kept the stock certifi- cate, and only last year delivered it to court authorities. Chancery report allowed for 10 days to file objections, but David Levinson, lawyer for the picture company, has asked for extended time to file a plea. Minneapolis, April 28. In this neck of the woods, here’s what spring means: On Saturday 125» “B\Vana Devil,” having co*v- eluded its run at the State, Harvey, N. D., the evening before, was due to open at the State, Minot, N. D., 100 miles distant. So the circuited print was to be transported to the latter town. However, 18 inches of snow fell during the night at Harvey. Trains and buses were snowbound. It therefore became necessary to charter a plane to carry the print to Minot for the opening there. In Minot, incidentally, only seven inches of snow had fallen. And—believe it or not—many of the territory's drive-in theatres, in- j eluding those at Minot and Harvey, have been open for more than a fortnight. Landlords Seek $888,000 For LA. Theatre Closed Los Angeles, April 28. Owners of the Belmont Theatre {building filed a precedental suit in Federal Court asking treble j damages aggregating $888,083.88 i from Fox West Coast, National I Theatres and 20th-Fox. Moises Mareyna and Raquel Marenya, landlords of the theatre, base their action on the loss of rent through shuttering of the house because of the Government’s consent decree. Plaintiffs declared the wrong* doing of the defendants forced the closing of the Belmont at the ex- pense of the innocent landlord. They ask a judgment of $7,148.17 S for unpaid rent and damages under j the antitrust laws, amounting to | three times what they expected under terms of a 17-year lease call- ing for $2,187 monthly. Defend- ants, the complaint says, have paid no rent since January. Shes lux Lovely My Lux Soap care leaves skm so soph smooth 1 ." Rosalind Russell She's a Star See Rosalind Russell starring in R.K.O. Radio’s . “NEVER WAVE AT A WAC” h.» m, u»ii,