Variety (April 1954)

army- McCar thy speaktacular Bonifaces See $5 Dinners (Plus One Free Drink) as Hypo to Cafe Biz Nitery operators are now think-♦ ing of revising prices downward in ' an effort to bring back the grosses. One N.Y. boniface, whose tariffs are for the upper-bracket spenders, declared that the day is coming when It will be necessary to entice customers into cafes with a $5 din- ner that will include a drink. Others feel that an advertising campaign along the linefc that nightclubs can be the most inex- pensive entertainment available, will be necessary to restore grosses. It's pointed out that at the height of nitery prosperity around 1946, it was possible for majority of cafes to provide a meal, drink, show and dancing for $5. It’s also pointed out that the most prosperous cafes in the U.S. are those whose large capacity en- able them to charge minimums from $2.50 to $3.50, depending upon night of the week and the attraction. Spots such as Blin- strub’s Village, Boston, capable of grossing around* $90,000 weekly, and the Town Casino, Buffalo, which can also hit the super grosses, are the most consistent moneymakers around. Their large capacities enable them to provide name shows at comparatively low prices. It’s pointed out that the trend in the upper-income brackets is (Continued on page 63) Censor Threatens Church With Police If It Shows Chaplin’s 1916 ‘Carmen’ Memphis, April 27. Lloyd T. Binford, Che 88-year old censor czar of this city, hhs now cracked down on the First Unitari- an Church. Latter had booked the antique Charley Chaplin film, “Carmen,” as part of its twice- monthly church program for which a 50c admission is charged. Binford stormed that Chaplin is permanent- ly barred from Memphis. With his characteristic lack of hesitation in branding people We does not approve of, Binford let loose a picturesque stream of com- ments about Chaplin. Most of these cannot be quoted. A couple of the milder phases are “insolent rep- robate” and “London guttersnipe.” Unitarian pastor, Dr. Richard Gibbs, was in New Orleans attend- ing a church conference and not available for comment but church accepted Binford’s utlimatum when censor threatened to send police to pinch the church if it dared ex- hibit “Carmen” (which was made ln 1616 and is pure hokum). Church treasurer Lawrence Jaseph told Variety “I think it would not be fair for Board to involve church in dispute with city.” Church trustees anc \ P a stor will view the film and decide what action, if any, to take. Jaseph added his opposition per- sonally ‘‘to censoring a picture be- cause of an individual in it.” Miss Townsend to Make Film With Billy Graham Edinburgh, April 27. Colleen Townsend, the film star who gave up a lucrative Hollywood contract for religion, is to make a film for evangelist Billy Graham in association with J. Arthur Rank. The story will be very much her own story, being about a star who gives up all for religion. Now Mrs. Louis Evans, the star has been living quietly here for several months with her husband, who is studying at the university here. He is the son of the pastor for the Hollywood First Presby- terian Church. The* .actress trav- elled from her home here to Lon- don to support Billy Graham at Harringay Arena until shooting be- gins on her film. Film Industry As Acad TV Sponsor Move is on to have the film industry sponsor its own tv cover- age of the Academy Awards in 1955. Sparked by Metro’s Howard Dietz, the proposal will be sub- mitted for consideration and pos- sible approval at the N. Y. meet of the company prexies skedded for tomorrow (Thurs.) Powwow may be postponed till Monday (3). Suggestion that the tceveeing of the Oscar ceremonies be kept “in the family” rather than sold to an outside sponsor followed in the wake of criticism that this year's show, bankrolled by Oldsmobile, suffered from over-commerciali- zation. Oldsmobile option for backing next year’s awards was due to be picked up last Friday and the out- fit had indicated' its intention of doing so. However, informed of the sentiment of some of the com- panies—and well aware of the criticism that followed the March (Continued on page 56) flLL-STflR GUST . NEEDS A SCRIPT Washington, April 27. That McCarthy-Army row hear- ing has shaped up like one of those $300,000 musical extravaganza near- misses—gorgeous costumes, expen- sive sets, big names, but without zippy enough music, terping and comedy skits to make it click on the bigtime. Responsible for its skidding Hooper and the NBC pull- out has been a lack of drama and a dull, long-winded^ script. They brought thi’s show in from the sticks, with plenty of advance hoopla and a willing and Waiting tv audience high in the millions. But, after the first scene, the audience started walking out wholesale— turning off its tv receivers and heading back to the office or the unwashed dishes in the kitchen. This show was set to blow sky high every attendance record set by the Kefauver Committee crime hearings of 1950 and 1951. But with all its star names—Sen. Joe McCarthy, Secretary of the Army Robert T. Stevens. Assistant Secre- tary of Defense H. Struve Hensel, and sundry senators and generals— the production has lacked the wal- lop necessary for good boxoffice. The performances have been lack- lustre compared with the drama of the late Sen. Charles W. Tobey cry- ing out at the crime hearings for the sinners to repent and tell all. Nor has Sen. Karl Mundt, chair- man of the present hearing, pro- vided more than a road company performance, compared to the earnestness with which Sen. Estes Kefauver presided over his hear- ings. Nearest thing to a standoff has (Continued on page 26) MPAA Dilemma: Hughes Cuts His Pix For Local Cops, But Not Prod. Code Harold Lloyd Jr. Prepped For Telecomedy Series This one might be billed the strange affair of the picture busi- ness. Howard Hughes is the pro- tagonist or, as the Motion Picture Assn, of America more than likely would call him, the heavy. In calling the turns via his one- man control of RKO, Hughes has Hollywood, April 27. Harold Lloyd Jr. would follow ...... ., . ... in his dad's footsteps under a deal» violated the MPAA s rules with now being dickered at NBC for him j he release of The French Line to play the lead in a comedy series , J® Hie extent that now ad copy for patterned after “Grandma’s Boy,” | P ,c 15 not even submitted to which senior made in 1922. Old ! organization’s Advertising Code. fine impose^ by MPAA because be launched “Line” in distribution picture 'was viewed last week, j '-' oae - He has ignored a $25,606 Script is being prepared for an early audition. Lloyd senior would produce with Joe Bigelow as NBC production exec. Ben Pearson, who’s been dick- ering with net’s tv exec Frank after it was rejected by the Pro- duction Code. Latter operates within the framework of the MPAA. Advance indications point to an- Cleaver on the deal, is also discuss-, 0 th er se t-to with the Code when mg a Hawaiian senes starring Dor- ; RKO * s " S on of Sinbad” swings othy Lamour. Pearson has also set ■ j nto re i e ase. CBS Radio audition of a 90-minute, yet. RKO carries on its business weekly comedy-variety program relationship with MPAA with corn- headed by Judy Canova. 'Guys Gain Nears $2,000,01)0 Mark plete normalcy so far as other j product is concerned. Oufit’s pix 1 are submitted for Production Code approval, as per usual, and all ad copy and layouts, as required of MPAA members, are made sub- ject to an okay by the Ad Code. MPAA board, which is com- prised of major film company presidents, has yet to take any ac- tion despite the fact that it has been several months since the “IJne” situation first began de- With the payment of another $30,000 dividend last week, the distributed profit on Guys and Business as usual with Dolls" now totals $1 728.192. That ** (Continued on page 63) does not include anything from the. recently-negotiated sale of the film rights to Samuel Goldwyn for JllSt {a $1,000,000 guarantee. Barred for Failure To Pay $1.50 Dues Mexico City, April 27. Norman Foster, who has directed a number of features in Mexico, was barred from repeating on “Green Shadow” starring Ricardo Montalban. Why? Not for incom- petence, the reason sometimes given when “unknowns” are con- tracted to direct in Mexico. Seems Foster neglected to pay his “absentee” fee to the Mexican Directors Union. The fee: $1.50 a month. Picture Production Workers Union states it is definitely not “anti-foreign.” Par’s Worldwide B.O. $112,740,417 With record total worldwide in- come of $112,740,417, Paramount chalked up earnings of $6,779,563* for the 52 weeks of 1953, equal to $3.06 per common share. For the 53 weeks of 1952. Par had a total gross of $106,819,214, and a net profit of $5,340,584| or $2.28 per share, excluding a non-recurring profit of $559,287 from the sale of real property. The earnings for the 52 weeks in ’53 represented a jump of 27% over the 53 weeks of ’52. \ In his annual report to stock- holders, Par president Barney Bala- ban noted a financial upbeat on a number of fronls, including for- (Continued on page 63) Controversial Capitol Records has a new singer who ought to make the headlines. His name is Red McCarthy. For the five-week period ended ’ April 3, the Frank Loesser-Jo j Swerling-Abe Burrow's musical grossed SI54,171 and earned $2,884 ; profit, including two heavily los-- ing weeks in Boston, but adding $387 incidental income. That brought the total net profit to date to $1,865,816. * of which slightly over half is due the backers under a capital-gains tax arrangement worked out a couple of years ago by producers Cy Feuer and Ernest H. Martin. .The show is currently at the Shubcrt Theatre, Washington, and another company is at the Coli- seum, London. The original edi- tion opened on Broadway in the fall of 1950. Senate Measure Would Ban Newspaper-Owned Stations Washington, April 27. Sen. Edwin C. Johnson <D.- Colo.) introduced a bill in the Senate yesterday (Mon.) to pro- hibit newspapers from owning or controlling radio or television sta- tions in cities of 100,000 or more population. The bill was referred to the Committe on Interstate and For- eign Commerce of which Johnson is the ranking Democratic mem- ber. Another Musician To Local 802’s Exec Bd. Guido Cantelli, protege of Arturo Toscanini and promising young Italian maestro, has gotten his tem- perament clipped by members of the N. Y. Philharmonic, which he conducted recently. The orch’s players became irked at Cantelli’s repeated explosions during re- hearsals and squawked to N. Y. Local 802 about the treatment. Canlelli was brought before the exec board and informed that “mu- sicians are people too.” Toscanini brought Cantelli to the U. S. a few years ago to guest con- duct the NBC Symphony. He has since worked with the N. Y. Phil- harmonic, the Boston Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He will share conductor duties on next year’s big Coast lour by the N. Y. Philharmonic and is being eyed by the orchestra's board as eventual replacement for maestro Dimitri Mitropoulos. The Cantelli incident is the sec- ond which Local 802 has been in- volved in recently with longhair maestros. Last week, union execs had Leopold Stokowski on the car- pet for walking through the picket lines, at WOR, N. Y. This matter is now before the exec board of the American Federation of Musi- cians for final action.