Variety (November 1954)

Wedn esday, November 34, 1954' '• PICTURES 13 *—^^^^^^^.v •«-»...> t ». • .1- mV ■ »■•---■ a ^ ——: ■ —•- - ••-- --• - Pop** House Open ft* Memorial—Showman's Loyally To Phil Spitalny Cited:—New Bra Biz ‘Modelled* By GENE ARNEEL S. H. Fabian, president of Stan- ley Warner and Fabiin Enterprises, was “Pioneer Of the Year” and “My Guy Si” at the packed grand ballroom of N. Y/s Hotel Sheraton Astor last Wednesday night; (17). . It was .the trade's annual salute to one of its outstanding citizens, .sponsored by the Motion Picture Pioneers, and the theatre exec got the. spotlight via the narration by assorted show; business: personali- ties of vyhat was loosely billed his life story. : Emphasis was on light humor although some key points of that story were gotten across; The first Fabian theatre, built by the honor guest’s 'father, Jacob, in 1914 in Paterson, N. J.; it was. lost in shuffled theatre ownerships ini the years, past and once again placed under Fabian’s name through the S-W acquisition; Fabian’s declara- tion that the house shall always re- niain open as a memorial to his father; the “Pioneer’s” loyalty to a friend, Phil Spitalny, in the form of ain. extended theatre booking that led to an 11-year radio con- tract n with General Electric; Fa- bian’s record ‘ refraining from upsetting the personnel structures of organizations he has taken over. . Lowell Thomas told of how “Doctor” Fabiah was called in when Cinerama “developed into one of the biggest headaches of our tii /’ Si's Snipped Speech As “pioneer of the. Year,” Si Fabian was the only one at last Wednesday’s (J6J dinner privileged to -make a speech. And he had one prepared, ru ning about three pages, . But upon bowing on, Fabian scrapped the script arid re? duced his message to only a few sentences, calling for in- dustry harmony. Dinner guesting at Harry Kal- riune’s home—Bill. Stern related this—Fabian, in conversation with Major Albert Warner, was advised that the three Warner Brothers were being forced to divest their theatre holdings and would. Fabian like to move in? This led to the S-W’ ownership switch;' Latex, We Love You . The International Latex absorp- tion was depicted with a “comedy stage bit, modelling of a girdle arid bra. Latex board chairman A. N. Spanel; on the dais, got a par- ticularly bang out of this bit. Sain Hosen, Fabian’s partner and exec v.p. of S-W, also was saluted for liis role ill acquiring or build- ing the various enterprises with which the Fabiah name is linked. Rosen is. Fabian’s , sister’s husband. George Murphy, who shows up at numerous trade functions throughout th year as “Holly- wood’s Ambassador of Goodwill,” did the introing chores and other narrators included Walter Abel, John Daly, Judy Holliday and Van Johnson. Backed by AJ 'Rickey orch were songs by Licia Albanese, BiU HayeS, Judy Johnson, Dorothy Sarnoff and Paula Stewart. The Deep River Boys posied Fabian vo- calistically. with a switch on “My Gal Sal”—Guy Si vice Gal Sal. .Entertainrhent show was written and directed by Mort Sunshine and staging \vas by David Bines. . Jack Cohn/ Columbia exec v.p. arid president of the Pioneers org, handled tlie gavel arid presented Fabian with.-a plaque in recogni- tion, the inscription read, of “his distinguished personal and public service to the motion picture in- dustry,;".. President Eisenhower sent felici- tations to Fabian and,Nate J, Blum-? berg wired regrets, he couldn’t make the dinner plus assurances that the heart attack he suffered Tuesday (16) will keep him out of action only a short time* Blum- herg was 1952’s “Pioneer of the Year." Balcony Observers The event was tape-recorcled, a. detail which Fabian's brother-in- law and partner Sam Rosen antici- pated, but unusual was the. pres- ence of their respective wives and family in. an upstairs box to take in the proceedings. TED SMITH EXITS With Export Assn. Since 1946— Declined India Assignment Theodore Smith, on* of the European market experts with the Motion Picture Export Assn., is leaving the outfit. Move comes as part of a reshuffle of eXec duties at the MPEA, with Griffith John- son, MPEA v.p,, now in charge of the assn.’s European affairs. Smith joined MPEA in 1946, working under John G. McCarthy, then head of tlie Motion Picture Assn, of. America's international division, He spent two years in Paris aS MPEA’S continental mana- ger, returnirig to a homeoffice desk Carly in 1954. He was replaced in Paris with Marc Spiegel, When MPEA recently discussed appointment of rep in India, Smith was mentioned as a possi-. bility. However, he . declined. Earlier in the year, he flew to the Philippines to settle a labor dispute there. Under the revamped setup, Ralph Hetzel, v.p,, contiriues Ini charge of air MPEA activities, Johnson, who divides his time between N.,Y and Washington,.is in charge of Europe, aided by George Canty. South Africa has lifted restric- tions on American film remittances and has also opened the. way to the unfreezing of whatever U, S. coin has. accrued in the country. Up to 1950, half of the Ameri- can film take in. South Africa was blocked.. Since then, cued to the devaluation of the pound, remit? tances were raised to 71%. Both Metro and 20th-Fox have theatre interests in South Africa. Yariks Versus Reds Form Romeo-Juliet Feud Angle In Rank’s ‘Young Lovers’ Extent to which. the film com- panies will shun politically con- troversial pix af home but go after them for foreign, handlingis under- scored by Universal’s attitude vis-] a-vis the J; Arthur Rank’ film, “The Young Lovers.” Pic, which, engendered some hot and heavy bidding among the in- dies, is described a latter-day version of the “Romeo and Juliet” story. It’s, about an American Em- bassy employee in London who falls in love with the daughter of an Iron Curtain diplomat. Hound-, ed by suspicions from both sides, i their affair is doomed from the start. ' Universal passed, up this Rank fill for U.S. distribution but went after, it—and secured it—for South American handling. In the U'.S.,. film will be released 'by Pacemaker Pictures* Universal has skedded a week- long. sales Confab at the studio in Hollywood starting Dec. 6 to dis- cuss forthcorhirig releases and' pro- motional .plans, according to Charles J. ,Feldi v.p. and gen- eral sales manager. Powwow will unite company execs from both Coasts in addition , to domestic arid foreign sales, execs; the field force and ad-pub toppers from both N.Y; arid the studio. Reps of Empire-Universal in Can- ada also will attend. Following the studio meets, the division sales managers will hold a series of district sales meetings, each attended by a member of the promotional force for a full co- ordination of plans. Feldman will preside at the studio meets. Among the U toppers due to at- tend the sessions are Milton R. Rackmil, president; N.J., Blumberg, board chairman, now recuperating from a mild heartattack; Alfred E. Daft, exec v.p.; Edward Muhl, pro- duction topper; AmericO Aboaf, foreigri general -manager; David A. Lipton, v.p.; James Pratt,, exec stu- dio manager, and Maurice A. Berg- man, eastern studio rep. Bankers Love Dinted Artists-Now Max Youn^itein Defines independent Pf0ducer > UA Back to Pickford^Fairbanks-Chaplin Credo Pete Smith hei. contrived his sum shew bli •lull show What D'Ya Knowt on oimtsinq byli piece.In the 49tk ‘Anniversary Number' of Exhibs Poisoned Versus Toll-TV, Telemeter View MARTIN-LEWIS CONTRACT One a Year For Seven Years With 50% Share Over Par Wages Hollywood, Nov. 23. Paramount has Signed Dean Mar- tin and Jerry Lewis to a new con- tract calling for one picture a year for seven years. Deal calls for 50% participation ' profits on fop of. their salaries. Meanwhile, the pair plan? ning to produce and star in “Pardners,” an oater, under the Hollywood, Nov. 23. In line with the current trend of major studios to allocate large suins for indie financing. United Artists is raising its current re- volving fund from $20,000,000 to $30,000,000. Veep Max Youngstein declares that the company is in solid with the bankers and has practically -un- limited funds at. its disposal to finance sound independent pack? ages, “My definition of an independent ■producer/’ said Youngstein* “is a creative picture maker who is granted full creative autonomy; who. has a . voice in the inerchan? dising of his film on a sales and ad- pub level; and who is provided with a worldwide distribution organiza- tion which, can bring ..him the greatest possible return for his ef- fort, “This kind of creative autorio? my," he added, “goes back to the very fundamental principles which led to the founding, of United Artist for creative - talents who wanted the right to call their shots as they saw them. We are once again, making this principle, a com- plete reality; 7 Among the producers associated with UA, he pointed out, ar Joseph MankiCwicz with “Tlie Bare- foot Contcssa”; Hecht-Lancaster with “Apache,” “Vera Cruz,” “The Kentuckian” and “Marty”; Stanley Kramer with “Not as a Stranger”; Paul 'Gregory with “Night of the Hunter,” and others. Since the Arthur Krim-Robert Benjamin, group took over manage- ment of UA. he added, the gross in-: come of the company has risen from $19,000,000 to an estimated $42,000,000 for 1954. Use of television to. cut time and costs in .filmmaking'-will be demon- strated by RKQ Patho Monday (29) a.t the N. Y. convention Of the Pub- lic Relations Society of America. In the process, which, is not yet fully developed? a miniature, tv camera, called the Dumont Teleye, is placed in juxtaposition with th viewer of the standard 35m pi : camera. Teleye picks up the scene exact- ly as it ’ taken on the 35m film and telecasts it. on a monitor screen. According to Jay Bona- field, film'company’s exec v.p., the director thus can sec how his pic? time is framed ^without having to wait for daily “rush ” and can, make necessary changes iinmedi? ately. Also at the convention, the. RKQ subsidiary will tape record all questions, concerning the display and will answer them by mail at a later date. 9 Scripting At Allied Hollywood, Noy. 23. Allied Artists’ writing mill running at high speed With nine scripters working ori seven screen- plays slated. for early filming. Writers and. their, "assignments are: Crane Wilbur on. “Pheni , City”; Bob Fisher arid A lari, Lip-' sieptt on “Mother-Sir”; Cyril. Hume on “The Intruder”; Warren Doug- las on “Desperate Women’’; St eye Fisher on “Women’s Reformatory”; Jo Pagano on “Yaqui, Drums,” and Tom Hubbard and Fred Eggers on “Tfie Last Mission,” Schimel Heads Drive Adolph Schimcl, Universal v.p. and general counsel,^ has been named chairman of the amuse: ments division of the 1954-55 fund- raising drive of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies . of N. Y. Goal of the drive this year has been put at $16,950,000. Some 116' agencies, ranging from medical, social and welfare organizations to vocational guidance and rehabilita-. tion Services are supported by the campaign. Palm Springs Boxes Out Hollywood, Nov. 23. Meeting strong exhibitor resist- ance to subscription tv, Telemeter is launching intensified, concerted campaign to persuade theatremen that the pay-as-you-see system is beneficial to operator. Dr. Louis N. Ridenour, .chairman of Telemeter’s board on Sunday conceded that one principal reason for shutoff of. home toll-tv test at Palm Springs, last spring was’ in- ability to get further first run fea- tures from major filmeries, due ,to exhih resistance. Said Ridenour: “We want to make- friends of the exhibitor, make him realize he's beneficiary of Telemeter. He declared : Carl Leserman, one of Telemeter’s prin- cipal stockholders and on its board i now talking with exhibs to achieve that goal. Lesermen has talked witli about 50 exhibs individually so far. He finds exbibs don’t understand what Telemeter is doing. Once they hear full story, he says they are for it. Present trouble is blamed by Leserman on resolutions by TOA and other exhib groups, op- posing any. subscription tv. Ridenour, who said he’ll testify at upcoming FGC hearings on sub- scription tv, doesn’t blame majors for turning him down ori firstruns, terming it “an. economic problem.” Only Paramount, which *has heavy financial Interest in Telemeter, would offer features. . Coin boxes have been removed from 200 installations in Palm Springs, also electronic devices, and customers are being refunded their $21,75 installation fee. They now get tv via Telemeter from L.A., paying $5 monthly, service charge. IN Under the Dept, of Justice’s consent decree judgment, Stanley Warner Corp. (and its predecessor company, Warner Bros. Theatres), was required , to divest. 70 theatres. As of this date, the theatre chain hats six theatres to go. It is running into particular dif- ficulty in unloading theatres in depressed areas. The situation in Lawrence* Mass., is, an example SW is meeting 'stiff, insistence in finding a buyer fgr the; Lawrence house since the American Woolen Co. pulled up stakes. The town’s economy revolved about the woolen outfit. With unemploy- ment now at a peak, no one ap- pears willing to undertake opera- tion of. the theatre. banner of their own. York Produe tions. Shooting'Will start next year on completion of their roles in Hal Wallis.’ “Rockabye Baby.” Global Staff Representing the first, such con- clave in the company’s history, Paramount has set plans for an “international promotion coordi- nation” meeting; to take place on the Coast for a full week begin- ning Dec. 6. Ad-pub-exp.loitation reps participating wifi include 15 U. S. and Canada field men, stu- dio personnel, homeriffice depart- ment heads and Par’s bally mer- chants iri London, Paris and the Far East. Coincident with this will be a Sales meeting called by A. W. Schwalberg, president, of Par Dis- tributing Corp., which will be at- tended by division managers. Jerry Pickman, ad-pub v.p., will preside at the promotion confer- ence. Joining him from N. Y. will be Sid Blumenstock, ad chief; Herb Steinberg,, national exploitation director, and Bert Champion, publicity head. Pickman’s idea is to seek out the. collective thinking of the entire prganization arient merchandising approaches and trends. Group Will view a specially-prepared 20- minute, reel showing clips from 10 ne\v ; pix in the Vista-Vision process and will talk up new campaigns.: Invitation to the overseas per- sonnel also has as its purpose closer coordination of bally work in the U. S. and abroad. For one thing, the agents in the global spots in some cases haven’t been, able to pick up campaigns suf- ficiently in advance of openings of pix in their areas. (The cam- paigns originate at the h.o.). The Par-ites will undertake to remedy this at^the Coast get-together. Meet*also has ori its agenda op'en discussion of new ideas on draw- ing public attention to film and: working with the sales department on local arid national levels. Annual Thanksgiving Day lunch- eon of the. Federal Bar Assn; of New York, New Jersey, and Con- necticut will, have show biz flavor. Theodore R. Kupferman,. the newly-elected prexy in whose honor the luncheon is being given, is the general counsel of Cinerama Productions and former legal de- partment staffer of NBC. JoseiHi A. McDonald, NBC treas- urer, and Samuel W. Tannenbaum, head, of the Copyright Society of the U.S., will present awards to. members of the Assn, who repped the U.S. at the Geneva Universal Copyright Convention, recently adopted by the. U.S. Awards will go to John Schul- man, counsel to the Songwriters’ Protective Assn*; Sydney M. Kaye, BMI counsel; Herman Finkelstein, ASCAP counsel, and Edward A. Sargby, special-counsel to the film industry. Cinerama Picked Montreal For Seven-Day Policy; Lease for One Year Montreal, Nov. 23. Cinerama’s bow at the Imperial Theatre on Dec. 27 is on a lease from Consolidated. Theatres here for one year with options. Mon- treal was chosen for Cinerama be- cause of the seven-day operation possible in this city.. The Imperial, ] presently a 1,789-seater, wall be re- duced to approximately 1,050 Seats due to mainfioor equipment neces- sary to Cinerama. Local prices will be scaled to a $2,40 top with 16 shows a week. Renovations are already underway to meet the December deadline. ‘Ye!lowneck , to Repiiblic; Indio Made in Florida Hollywood, Nqv, 23. Republic bought a compiecea feature, “Yellowneck,” filrned by Empire Studios Productions in the Florida Everglades. Picture was produced by Harlow G. Frederick and directed by R. John Hugh with .Lin McCarthy, Stephen Courtleigh* Barry Kyoeger, Harold Gordon and Bill Mason in the cast. At the same time Republic closed a deal to handle European distribution of the Silvana Pam- panini starrer, ‘‘Don Juart’s Night of Love,” made in Italy.