Variety (October 1954)

10 PICTURES PjfcRIETY Wednesday, October 27, 1934 Trans-Lux circuit has set up 4 Trans-Lyx pictures Cftrp. as a dis- tribution outfit for foreign films. It's part of a deal, signed in N. Y. last week,, under which Trans-^Lux acquired a half-interest in the western hemisphere rights of forir British Renown pix. Trans-Lux Pictures is headed up by Percival E. Furber, with Rich- rd Brandt as v.p. and operating head. Brandt is prez of the Trans- Lux circuit. Arrangement with George Minter, Renown prexy; is the start of a continuing associa-. tion since Trans-Lux will have an. interest in other .films in the 1955 Renown program. Involved in the current-deal are “Our Girl Friday,” which 20th-Fox -is taking on for distribution; “Grand National Night,” “Dance, Little Lady” and "Trilby and Sveri- gali.” ,0n some future. Renown productions, Trans-Lux will put up the dpllars for the American talent. >Iinter is planning to slant his out- put directly to the U. S. market. Renown topper arrived in N. Y. Sunday (23). He expects to go to the Coast for discussions with, 20th on CihemaScope. Minter report- edly intends to make one C’Scope film a year. Deal with Trans-Lux was negotiated in N. Y. by Rich- ard Gordon, Minter’s U. S. rep. Trans-Lux is required tor seek ma- jor distribution for the Minter pix wherever possible. At the same time, the arrange- ment assures TransrLux, operator of many arties in N. Y., Washing-'] ton; etc., of first-run product if it needs it. ’ On a similar basis, negotiations for British pix are also under way by Frank Kassler, an associate of AValter Reade. Product Lack Pushing Parks Into CinemaScope; 286 In of Area’s 600 Minneapolis, Oct, 26. This territory's C’Scope installa- tions haye risen to' 286 out,of a 600 potential and will be swelled, con- siderably during ensiling months by a late rush of ozoners to the projection technique, according to present indications, o With comparatively few excepr lions, the outdoor theatres have been staying, on the sidelines away from C’Scope, giving as a reason inability to meet pictures’ percent- age terms. However, it’s now evi- dent that the. product situation is driving them into the fold. Eddie Ruben installing the one track optical sound C’Seope in all is 13 ozoners. The Triangle cir- cuit, which installed it late this season in Minot, N. D., is following suit in its other two stands a Man- kato and St, Clous, Minn. Before closing for tlie season the Belle Fourche, S. D,, outdoor, theatre completed its installation. New 3-D Demonstrated .. Hollywood, Oct, 26, First demonstratipn.of a new widescreen 3-D process of photography Was shown here by Stereocolor Corp. Novelty of the new system is that it requires the use of only a sin- gle strip of film in one camera, and a si/igle. projector. . Alfred: Landau, veepee of the company, said the cost of filming in Stereocolor is about the same standard produc- tion. Distributors are as far away as ever from any plan on consolidat- ing, their facilities for the physical handling of films for purposes of. economy, This, despite statement on the Coast earlier this month by Eric A. Johqstbn, president of the; Motion Picture Assn, of America, to, the effect that the. companies were nearly ready for such joint operation with N.Y. as the starting point. Sales execs said , this week the project never got much beyond the discussion stage and, as of now, the whole idea has; been abandon- ed. It may be tried at some future date again but. the distribs do not see this as a likelihood, The plan that had been afoot called for a setup whereby all com- panies would have pic inspection, storage and shipping work done under the one roof. There would be no actual selling involved. However, many problems cropped up that the project was dropped. Personnel to take on the work, office space and the com- panies* present leases on space for this physical. work all represented factors militating against the mu- tual . agency, Further, and impor- tantly, some company lawyers, ever dreading the possible consequences of any .kind of joint operation, feared' the setup might be con- strued as running afoul of the anti- trust laws. Pathe-Cinena of Paris SHORTS SCHEDULE AT UNIVERSAL, 20TH Universal and 20th-Fox last Week put out their shorts lineup for the season and the year. Maintaining the release pace of prior years, U in ’54-’55 will have 51 shorts including 15. tworeelers and 36 onereelers. Six of tire lat- ter are reissues, of Walter Lantz Technicolor Cartunes. Onereelers also include "Speed Sub-Zero,” U’s first short lensed in the ana- morphic Vistataiha process. ; At’ 20th, shorts subjects sales manager Lem Jones said he would have 26 C’Scope color shorts in 1955, eight more than in 1954, HONOR FILM EDITORS Gene Milford, Bob Leeds, Lynn Harrison Spotlighted First annual Critics’ Awards, in- stituted by the American Cinema Editors for the best film editing of the year were presented to Gene Milford; Robert M, Leeds and Lynn Harrison. Milford edited Sam Spiegel’s Co- lumbia production, “On the Water- front.” Leeds and .Harrison edited Mark VII’s filmed television show “Dragnet.” Arties in Eastern U.S.A. Expansion of its theatre holdings in the U. S. continues as a part of Pathe-Cinema plans for the fu- ture, Duncan McGregor, prez of the American Pathe Cinema sub- sidiary, said in. N. Y. last week on returning from a trip to,his Paris homeoffice. McGregor reveals, that the So- ciete Nouyelle Pathe-Cinema, the. French outfit for which he .runs the Paris and :5th Ave. Playhouse theatres in N.. Y., feels that thea- tre expansion in the eastern U. S. would be desirable “if we can find the kind of situations that lend themselves to our type of .opera- tion.” The French Pathe-Cinema is co- producing and distributing between six and eight pix a year, McGregor reported. Not all of them are suit- able for the U. S., and the French realize this. While it owns the two N. - Y, showcases, Pathe-Cinema doesn’t insist that they launch its pix in N. Y. Choice, of bookings is left up entirely to McGregor and Lillian Gerard, who is the operat- ing head of the theatres. They’re having some difficulties finding enough suitable French product'for the 5th Ave. Still For the French McGregor disagreed with; the views of some indie, distribs in the U. S. that the French, and.'other European producers copying U. S. techniques and themes and: that this, loses them their own unique, appeal. "French producers still primarily produce for French audiences,” he said. “If they make a gangster film, and it’s very suc- cessful, they naturally have a tend- ency to go in for ‘cycles,’ just, as Hollywood does.. But that’s not sur- prising. It’s just good business.” , Pathe-Cinema, while interested in entering the tv film market, has found its plans styrtiied due to the very large investment required. McGregor said the French outfit had lensed three pilot pix for t^, in English, and that they cost about .$17,500 each.; “You. can’t sell a se- ries of films on the basis of a few pilot samples,” lie opined. “And we can't invest in making a series of .26 'on spec’.” His French parent company is very anxious to coproduce With American interests, McGregor said. The last time such a deal was con- summated Tvas when it joined hands, with RKO in the making of .“Silence Is Gold,” Film, starring Maurice Chevalier, wasn’t success- ful in. the U. S. */*+♦+ ♦ ♦ + ♦♦ ♦ ♦ > ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ » + ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ -.4 ♦ ♦ ♦♦ ♦ 4 ♦ ♦ ♦ 4 ♦ ? An upcoming production from Hal Wallis “Summer arid Smoke,” taken from the Tennessee Williams play. Title registra- tions at the Motion Picture Assn, of America show that Samuel Goldwyn has a property listed as “Smoke” arid Walt Disney has “Summer” . From Pete Martin r s profile on Grace Kelly in the Saturday Evening Post: “You can be more, colorful With, a love scene played by a lady than one played by a hussy,” said Alfred Hitchcock; "With a hussy; such a scene cam be vulgar, but if you put a lady the same circumstances, she’s exciting and glamorous” , . . Judy.Garland staying east additional week while Sid Luft huddles oft a prospective tv series for 1955. Sol Hiirok and Italian. Films Export, have picked the Little Carnegie Theatre, N.Y;, to launch their opera film, “Aida.” Preem is skedded for Nov. 11. It’s Hurok’s first film presentation . . JArthur Rank’s John Davis said to be interested tv deals for Rank pix. Davis is due to discuss the matter when he gets to N.Y,.-Nov. 17 Nicole Maurey (France), Myriam Verbeeck (Bel- gium) arid Giovanni Scala (Italy) are the three candidates for the part of Mary Magdalene in Universal’s “The Galileans.” Gals go to the Coast tomorrow (Thurs.) . . . Paramount and the producers: of; the legit; “Sabrina Fair” a-feridin’ and a-fussin’over the amount Par owes for. the play’s screen rights; Issue may go to arbitra- tion . ,. Look for Ilya Lopert to let riff a blast vs. film-making conditions in Italy where he’s making “Time of the Cuckoo” with Katharine Hepburn * Venice. An Italian court has confiscated his prints as. part of a legal action against him by a featured actress . . Foreign distribution of “Carmen Jones” a headache for 20th. Story is in the public domain in U.S;—but not iri Europe. Charles P. Skouras, who died Friday (22), was in Gotham a few weeks ago. for rneetirigs with stock analysts and the press. Who’d take over National Theatres if he were tri bow out, Skouras was asked "You mean if I die?” he asked back. He didn’t specifically name anyone r c ..New Howard Hughes production.starring Jane Russell is going out as "Underwater!” Why Hughes insists upon the exclamation point raises a question mark . . . Columbia’s deal to buy the office building at 711 5th Ave. brigged down in legal- istics but still looks to go through, NBC, incidentally, used to be located on this spot; Radio station WMGM is a current tenant A . . Cheese, foftdu parties Will becorne the nation’s latest rage, if Lynn Farnol has his way, The public relations man is spotlighting the Swiss treat as part, of the campaign for “Cinerama Holiday,” in which a couple of amateur actors are seen enjoying the dish on their visit to, Switzerland. Fondu and “Holiday” are given double- page attention in the November Woman's Home Companion.. Ad Agency Traced 77% Loss of Patronage Due to TV in One Town—-With Subsequent 17% Recovery ‘Miss Film Row’ St; Louis, Oct. 26. For the .punch, event at the Nov. 9 dinner of tlie MiSsouri- Illirtois regional unit iri .Thea- tre Ownersof America, one of the several hundred gals em- ployed iri the various ex- changes here will be spot- lighted arid prize-laden as "MisS Film Row.” The scene: . Hotel Chase. Open Fire on 10% ^Pittsburgh, Oct. 26. Theatres in this city, saddled with a iQ% admissions tax, have opened a' campaign for relief from the "discriftiinatory” levy. Appeal has been made to the mayor arid m,embers of the city council. . -Allied Moti Picture Theatre Owners rif Western Pennsylvania is spearheading the drive. In a. letter to Mayor David L. Law- rence, Harry Hendel,. exec, secre- tary of the Allied unit, declared that the city of Pittsburgh has ex- ceeded its limit of the 1% of the total assessed real estate value as provided by the State Enabling Act and urged the city administra- tion “to relieve the local movie theatre of the burdensome arid confiscatory 10% admissions tax.” in a dramatic appeal, Hendel said “the power to tax is the power to -destroy and rarely in all the centuries’ old history of taxation has the truth of this Statement been so clearly demonstrated as it has been by the Admissions tax and its effect upon our neighborhood movie theatres.” Holidays Lose Status As Pivots of Film Sell; Hyman Bullish on Biz Time has passed when the film companies could afford to concen- trate their top releases around holiday periods, Edward L. Hyman, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres v.p., said this week fol- lowing an b o. of production activ- ity on the Coast. Impressed with the pix he had seen, Hyman commented he “couia not help but again feel proud of our industry;” And he added: “There is nothing on the market today in any device that the mag- nificence and scope of our wide screens, color and fine sound can- not equal or surpass.” With specific reference to the Thanksgiving to Christmas period, Hyman observed: “There are far too many good attractions available: and our business has expanded far beyond the four holidays of the year for the studios to confine their product to give us a flood of pic- tures for the holidays and a dearth of product during the year. There are no seasons ’ in our business, Ours is not unlike the department store business—they have Christ- mas sales,, and immediately follow- ing, January white sales, so . there is soiriething to interest the public every week of the year.” ' Hyman said that, on the basis of the product previewed, “we . look forward to a healthy fourth quar- ter in 1954 and an even more ac- ceptable first quarter in 1955. We know,” he said, “that we rinist maintaiii this .basis of quality. The demand ... is for quality pictures.” He suggested that exhibs “take up the challenge With the studios’* to. properly apprise the public that trip attractions are available. Also, tri let the public know that “this is a grown-up industry; that the lagging of the last few . years is past.” The circuit exec urged fur-- . ther that theatres let the b.o. de- termine the length of run.. Chiming in with an opinion ex- . pressed frequently by Lerinard Goldeftson, AB-PT prexy, Hyman emphasized the need for publicity continuity to bridge the gap be- tween the completion of a film arid its release. “This tailor-made ex- ploitation will be of great benefit,” be stated. Universal has in \york a program designed to come rip with som scientific answers on why. the pub- lic attends, or doesn’t, attend,' mo- tion picture theatres. The job has been assigned to . Gerald Tasker research v.p. of the Crinnirigham & Walsh ad agency. tasker stated this Week the sur- vey will look iritb all aspects of at- tendance: Who goes to what kind of theatres, why are first-runs or drive-iris or neighborhood houses preferred, Who in tjie family selects the film to be seen, what the public thinks about certain pi and players, etc. The agency exec said a certai city will be selected “Movie- town” and its residents are to be the ones interviewed. The pulse-; taking Will be coriypleted by next month, he added. Same ad agency disclosed its findings in study of television’s effects on theatre business. In this, New Brunswick,. N. J., was chosen as -the sample ^ city—and named “Videotown” for the purpose—be- cause its residents can receive such a wide variety of tv programs from N. Y. and N. j; stations; Film attendance fell 77%, re-, ported Tasker, after tv hit . the town. He said ihe survey Went on for : five years. But; the turning point was reached ih 1953 with a 17% gain and -this year’s attend- ance is doubling last year’s, he added, There was no breakdown on the type of theatres covered. ' , , ‘ ■ Maryland Sees ’Waterfront’ After Junst Okays It With ’Go to Hell’ Line Baltimore, Oct. 26; CpluriibiaV“On The Waterfront” opened last Friday (22) at L M. Rappaport.’s Hippodrome here after a tussle with , the Maryland State Board, of Motion Picture Censors over the lirie of dialog iri which the young lbpgshrirerrian played by Marlon Brando tejls a priest to “go to hell.” Following the usual pattern srit by censorship disputes locally, the censor hoard headed by Sydney Traub, refused to sanc- tion the film with the lirie in ques- tion but was forced to do so after the distributor appealed the case. Judge James S. Cullen overruled the board’s decision that the line was “indecent,” pointing Out that indecency as defined by criminal statutes is confined to “sexual'im- morality.” Representatives of Columbia offered overwhelmingly favorable reviews, and letters of commendation, from . clergymen lauding the film as evidence that the board’s decision reflected only a Small portion of public opinion. In testimony prior, to the release of the judge’s, opinion, censor board chairman Traub stressed the problem of considering youthful audiences in the board’s decisions. His objection to the dialog in the Columbia release also involved the fact that the line was directed at a “mail of the cloth.” He also tes- tified that “the first thing you know you’ll have a man telling a woman to go to hell,” often re- ferring to the later designation as “that warm place.” Judge Cul- len” retorted with the. opinion that the chairnian's “standard of mo- rality is extremely high.” Judge Clulen’s veto follows a siriiilar upset of the board's rulings last year when Judge Herman Moser authorized the statewide ex- hibition, of “The Moon Is Blue after a hotly contested battle be- tween United Artists and the un- daunted' censor board. CENSORS RELIEVED Mgsons (Cancel Lease, for French Firm Auspices Columbus, Oct. 26. State film censors located her were, uneasily reading advertise^ ments for “Group 16” which haa rented the Masonic Auditorium m Cleveland to exhibit five “uncen- sored” French films between Oct. 23 and Feb. 16. Ostensibly private, “Group 16” Used paid space to sell memberships at $50, problem has now evaporated; the Masons having gotten jittery . arid, .cancelled the jeasri-