Variety (September 1954)

22 PICTURES Wednesday, September 22, 1954 Tie In With Either (1) Local Exchanges Or (2) Regional Conventions -k- A series of!.exhibitor forums, designated as ‘iticket-sellirl work*- shops,” will be conducted by Metro shortly, the film company confirmed Ibis week. Meetings will, be : held in exchange cities and whenever possible in conjunction With regional conventions of exhib associati Theatreowners and managers in: each territory will be invited to attend the one-day roundtable sessions. Sole topic of discussion at the confabs will be ways to sell tickets, according to M-G sales topper Charles M. Re- gan arid pub-ad chief Howard Dietz. . Mike Simons, Metro’s director of customer relations, will direct each of the meetings and will bring to the session a panel of experts iri various fields of film publicity, ad- vertising and exploitation. Sev- eral organizations, according to Metro, have already asked to co- sponsor the events to give their members an opportunity to par- ticipate iri the business-building I leetings. “With an increasing number, of important new pictures coming from all sources,” said Regari, “we believe a lot of goodwill Will be customers merchandise them. We believe a lot *of good will will be accomplished for exhibitors at all levels, with the smalltown operator standing the best chance to bene- fit. if he wili •participate. We Will have nothing to sell. Our guest ex-.] perts will give away, free, ideas that will sell tickets to the public regardless of what pictures the ex- hibitor plays.” Dietz pointed out that the meetings will be of prime Importance .‘‘to a Whole generation of. young exhibitors,” SHIFTS RKO FIELD MEN Chain of field promotions has- been set at RKQ in .tlie^yvake of Herbert H. Greenblalt’j .recent ap- pointment as domestic sales inan- ager. Sam. Gorelick has been moved up from Chicago branch manager to midwest district man- ager, latter post being the one formerly held by , Greenblatt. Ray Nolan is the new Chi branch manager, shifting from the correspoding post in St, Louis. Tom Williamson is upped from salesman to branch manager in St. Lopis. Frank E. Belles has been advanced from salesman to branch manager in Cleveland. He replaces Jack Bernstein, who re- cently resigned. Pixiecrat Hollywood,'Sept, 21. Now it’s Allan Shivers, screen actor. The governor of Texas has agreed to play the familiar role of the governor of Texas the Pine-Thornas production, ‘‘Lucy Gallant.” Shivers is due iri Holly- wood next Monday to appear sqenes depicting the dedica- tion of a huge Texas depart- ment store, Jane Wyman plays the owner of the store. 2 i Industrial Films * Can Reach Up to 900,000 Vieweri At No Handling Cost Beyond Prints IB \ Siamese-Twin Theatres Get New Trial in Columbus; Reopening As Art Outlet Columbus, Sept, 21. The Bexley Theatre, the only double auditorium house in the world, is slated to reopen Oct. 1 as an art house.. The theatre has been dark since June, 1952. Originally opened Oct. 22, 1935, the Bexley gained much attention in the trade arid lay press, as a unique cinema parlor. It Was de T sighed and built by the late Theo- dore Lindenberg and his son, The- odore, Jr. The house is arranged in twiri, parallel auditoriums, with _ , . .. ■ . .. , , ; seating from the sides only. Each Each meeting, it was indicated,. auditorium has its own screen and will be tailored^ to meet the needs of the particular territory, with ticket-selling ideas for large, smalltown, drive-in and conven- tional theatres. READS ‘CURTAIN’ SERIES Walter Reade circuit’s success- ful ‘‘Curtain at 8:40”. series, which, serves as a showcase for foreign films, has added the Mayfair The- atre in Asbury Park, N.J., and. now is slated to get Under ,way in nine theatres on Oct. 13. Series, which offers the foreign imports on a subscription basis, runs for six. successive Wednesdays and is sponsored in each instance by an organization such as the American Legion, League of Wo- men Voters, United World Feder- alists, etc, Reade’s Morristown, N.J., house has been so successful in peddling the "Curtain” stanzas that the the- atre is already sold out for eight Wednesdays instead of the six or- iginally planned. While films are picked front , all countries, British pix predominate. Circuit feels that the series, apart fr m being a. moneymaker, also serves a good overall purpose in that it acquaints audiences with foreign productions and paves the way for thriir increased acceptance. Hecht-Lancaster is serviced by a single projector equipped with a lens device for throwirig two perfect images of a single film on the screens at the same time. It is the only theatre anywhere with this device and its sound system, Which anticipated hi-fi by a good many years, is not obsolete. The Lindenbergs operated the house until 1943, when it. Was taken over by the J. Real Neth chain, which closed it in 1952, A new lease was signed with W. J. Fitz-Henry by. Maurice and Louis K. Sher, Columbus restau- rateurs, and Ed Shulman, of the Studio Theatre in Detroit. Plans are to open the house Oct. 1, re- taining its unique, projection sys- tem and its unusual sound system. Policy will be art film, revivals and unusual Hollywood, or European features. The new managers even Will make new use of the two audi- toriums, closing off one after the show begins and filtering late- comers into the second. The halls are separated by a wall and very little I und leaks through from one to the other. ‘Cinerama’ Exhibit; Tix Scalpers Ply Hot Trade Washington, Sept. 21. “Cinerama” is the hottest item at theDamascus International Trade Fair, “dwarfing all other ex- hibits” arid causing the Russians: to charge “unfair competitiori.” Enthusiastic reports reach Wash- ington from the U. S. Information Agency offices in Damascus where the. big problem is how to get [ enough tickets to keep up with the 1 demand. . The outdoor theatre holds 2,000, with this, country distribut- ing free tickets to officials and the Syrian public. Ducats are reported being scalped there at .prices with a dollar value as high as Americari theatres charge for “Cinerama.” The fair Opened on Sept. 2 and will continue to Oct. 1. “Success of -Cinerama greatly beyond original expectations,” reads a. cable to USIA offices here, “The demand of government offi- cials and private organizations has maderit diffeult to hold even 750 tickets out of each daily 4,000 for public distribution'^ Crowds of 2,000 or more line up at each ticket booth in the hopes of ob- taining one of, the 100 tickets available there.” Reference is: to the fact that the ducats are be- ing distributed. via commercial theatres in Damascus to break, up overcrowding at USIA headquar- ters. Agency claim widespread rumors in Damascus that Communists would try to sabotage “Cinerama” as the only way to Stop its compe- tition with the elaborate Russian trade exhibit at the fair. The pic was donated to USIA by Cinerama Corp., which also lent three technicians who accompan- ied the print arid equipment and supervised the installation. A local crew of 53 worked on the project, which requires more electricity daily than is used by the entire city of Damascus. Arabic sound- track was made at Cinerama studio by. Amwar Hadid, USIA press rep for Syria,’ Continued, from page 3 to the promotion 4)f the finished product.' First deal under the new opera- tion already is set. Property in- volved is "Kitty Hawk,” focusing on Orville and Wilbur Wright. It’s to . be scripted, directed and pro- duced by Mel Shavelsori and Jack Rose, both of whom originally were Writer? on the Warner lot and are now .moving into indie production. Shooting is. pencilled in for next May or June. Idea of an indeperident outfit bringing in "outside” filmmakers ‘ not entirely new,, of course. Samuel GoldWyn organizatiori has had it under consideration on arid off for years. Recently, Edward \SmalI pacted Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene, as a team, to produce a number of pix under the Small aegis. H-L’s plan, though, appears at this time the most am- bitious and far-reaching i that it could involve a umber of pro- ducers over a long period. Price Sues Flynn Go. On 15G Salary Claim LoS Angeles, Sept. 14. A suit for $15,000 in unpaid | salary was filed by Vincent Price in Superior Court , recently against the William Marshall-Erroi Flynn Co; and the two owners individu- ally, Action involves “The.Bar- gain;” a : film produced 1 jfe£Frahce in 1950* “v.. ’. \ Price declares'hi$ contract call- ed for $35,000 for his Work on the film,, with a $15,000 deferment to be paid either one yohr after its Americari release or 18 months af? ter the picture was completed. He claims the defendants have refused to pay. To date, the film has not been released in the U.S. At Edison Foundation A replica of the “black maria,” first motion picture* studio in the world, will be unveiled at the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation in West Orange, N; J., today (Wed,). Dedication ceremony will be. cou-, pled with the showing of "The Story of Thomas Alva Edison,”. 25- minute documentary dealing with the life of .the famed inventor. Prior to a press luncheon, there will be an inspection of the Edison Museum, particularly to view Edijon’s, l$99t/ '^trlp kinetograph, tnbtiori 'picture camera. ' documentary r well as some early Edison films were shown in the “black maria.” Dedication ceremonies included addresses by Herbert Barnett, prexy of the So- ciety of Motion Picture & Televi- sion Engineers, ' and Paramount board chairman Adolph. Zukor. On the lighter side, a Miss Cinema- scope and a Miss Kinetograph were crowned. It’s fine when the boss likes a picture; But, as Universal points out, it’s even better if he likes it so much he sends his employees to the theatre and pays their way to boot. That’s what happeried iri Raleigh, N. C., with “Magnificent Obsession.” Arthur A. Gould, president of Electrical Wholesalers, Inc., went to see the film. It moved him so much, he sent a memo to his entire staff. ■: "Obsession,” he said, “is a ‘must* If you will attend this movie, Electrical Wholesalers Will be glad “to pay your admittance. The admittance for a companion will also be paid for by the company. “I hope you will allow the company to pay youf way to see this marvelous picture,” FOR $5.50 ‘STAR’ PREEM Hollywood, Sept. 21. . : RKO Pantages Theatre, borne of the Oscar Derby, is getting; a re- modeling job for the world preem of Warners’ “A Star Is Born” on Sept. 29. Job includes a new Cin- emascope screen, a stereophonic sound system with 21 speakers, new foyer lights, carpeting arid seat covers. Projection booth is being equip- ped with the latest. technical in- stallations for Cinemascope pro- jection and stereophonic sound; General public will be admitted at $5.50 per seat, N.Y. Season Oct 20th With Cinema 16, private membership: group engaging iri the exhibition and distribution of documentary and experimental films, opens its eighth N. Y. season Oct. 20 with a new series of screenings of offbeat product. Showings take place at Gotham’s Central Needle Trades Auditorium arid the Beckman The- atre. Membership of 5,000 is claimed. - Outfit, run on a non-profit basis, shows pix which are withheld from public viewing because of legal re- strictions, profit considerations arid censorship regulations; Included in the new season’s program, for ex- arriple, is “Have You Nothing to Declare?”, French entry starring Raimu, which was nixed by the N Y. State Board of Censorship, The private-membership angle makes the screenings; permissible. Talks by Hollywood figures, in- cluding Stanley Kramer, Fred Zin- nemanri, arid King Vidor, also are on the shed, according to "16.” Ottawa, Sept, 21. Commercial distribution of busi- ness-sponsored filjns in Canada "ij frequently considered unnecessary’.* because of “the wealth of free plans," according to the newsletter sent to advertisers by Crawley Films, Ltd., here, largest producer of industrial films in Canada. Biggest distribution outlet is the government-owned National Film Board of Canada, and it’s free. But films “nust have national signifi- cance, be interesting and informa- tive and usually not longer than 20 minutes.” Filin Board may give a film 4,000 showings in,;15 months, mostly in. rural communities and small towns; After that the prints go to 350 commuriity film libraries in larger cities. Imperial Oil’s prize-winning “The Loon’s Neck- lace,” made; by Crawley,, has reached an audience of 900,000— one out of every 17 Canadians— and three other sponsored films have passed the half million view-' ers mark. Additionally some 19 provincial film libraries, 387 community lib- raries and depots, 410 film councils with 10«528 member organizations, and the Canadian Film Institute, which charges for bookings to sup- port its nonprofit activities, are other outlets fori business films. And, of course, there are company film libraries and film showings through branch offices, salesmen and dealers, “completely personal- ized and, in some cases, by far the most effective.”.. Using this system, Moslem's Breweries, Montreal, re- cently showed its new film “Pano- rames du Quebec” to more than 10,000 persons the first day of re- lease. New Distribs WOMEN OF INDUSTY FORM NAT’L GROUP • f . ’ Dallas, Sept, 21. The first “natiorial convention” of Women of the Motion Picture Industry was held here opening last week; It marked the official launching of WOMPI. Participants in the confab in- cluded representatives of the four existing WOMPI chapters with each chapter sending, in three of- ficial delegates. These chapters, in- clude Memphis, Atlanta arid New Orleans, with Dallas as the hosting chapter. Mabel Guinan was corivention chairman, Ralph Goldberg Assembles Omaha Theatre Project Omaha, Sept. 21. Ralph D. Goldberg, owner of a chain of six theatres here, has pur- chased two houses adjoining a garage, stores and parking lot he already owns at 36th and Farriam Streets and will build a theatre- [’•apartment-mercantile-garage proj- ect there; “For 40 years I’ve dreamed of building the finest theatre in town,” Goldberg told Variety. “Buying the two houses gives me space fbr parking, which is : essential to any operation today.” However, Goldberg added, Teases On the houses may withhold build- ing until 1956. Purchase price of the houses was set at $100,000. Extend $6 Date Continued from page 4 in addition to Hughes’’ holdings, the outstanding, shares include 884,900 owried by Floyd Odium’s Atlas Corp. and 1,856,083 held by the public. Meanwhile, the possibility still continues that Odium might swing a deal by which he would take over the RKO film company from Hughes, in addition to the latter’s interest in the “shell.” Talks have been on and off for the past several months but so far nothing has been concluded. Continued from page S Rpchemont, who orgariized his own distrib setup for “Martin Luther,” may continue the setup for his up- coming “Animal Farm.” David 0, Seiznick re-established hisSelznick Releasing Organization to handle his reissues and it’s figured he will continue the arrangement for any new product he turns out. Samuel Gold wyn bypassed RKQ fpr his re- issues arid made separate ' deals with states rights distribs. Italian Films Export, set up to release the product~of Italp producers, is anx- ious to take on the films of other outside producers. Shift in distribution arrange- ments was prompted mainly by dis- satisfaction with the cut received from the major distribs. The prod- uct shortage, however, served as the spark for the organization of the new production-distri b firms. Toppers of these hew companies felt the time was ripe for new outfits. which could help theatres fill up their playing time. As an example of the production cutdown by the majors, Metro’s complete 1954 slate shows a total of <2.9 pi plus two specials, as compared to a total of 46 for 1953. Hearing the elamor of exhibs for product and after surveying the market, Make- lirti and Schwartz, for example, felt that new companies could get roll- ing at this time. This is the first time in many years that pixites have undertaken to crash the high- ly competitive production-distribu- tion market. Basie Statistic Continued from page 7 —a shuttered arid others were peril- ously close to doing so unless the admissions tax were dropped; If the number Of 16,079 indoor- theatre were accepted, it would mean that, there are only 2,000 fewer regular houses in the coun- try than in 1947 when the Motion Picture Assn, of America made its survey. General/ comment was. that the confusion merely highlighted the need for some reliable statistical service for the industry. The MPAA had Robert Chambers do- ing that kind of . work but dropped him some years back. So next time you wanna know how many theatres there are, just toss a coin. Whatever the aftswer, yoii’ll probably be right.