Variety (November 1954)

20 PICTURES t^mefr VefluegJay, November 24, 1954 ♦ ♦ ♦ >♦ ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ f 444 ♦ »♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ »s♦»♦♦♦♦♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ I year in show bii and, 30th.year of founding the circuit, currently operating 14 theatres in nine Texas NEW YORK Richard W.. Altschuler, Repub- lic’s global sales chief, planed to the: Coast over the weekend for huddles with prexy Herbert J. Yates. s William • W. Howard, veepee in charge : of RKO Theatres, off to the Coast Sunday (21) to b.o. the firm’s houses in Denver, h.: A; and Frisco. Marty Blau, Columbia publicist, engaged to Cynthia Klein, girl Fri- day at. the Emil Mogul ad agency.. Jimmy Boyle, Columbia ex- ploited’, back to southwest terri- tory to push “Black Knight” and “Phft'it.” Previously he’d been ballying “On Waterfront” in same area. Bob Wellman, ABC veepee,. recovered enough from 10-day siege With, flu to retUr to his office; Walter Gould’s Gibraltar . Pro- ductions acquired exclusive dis- tribution rights to Hallmark’s “Karamoja” and “Half-Way to Hell” in nine eastern exchange areas. Harold Sugarman. will head eastern sales organization handling those Hallmark pix' as well as several others, Marty Wolf, Altec assistant sales manager; M.. G. Thomas., Altec division manager in Atlanta, and Atlanta “ branch manager Bruce Mewborn heading group. of Altec reps at convention of Motion Picture -Exhibitors of Florida in Jackesonville. Interboro Circuit, headed .by Sol Strausberg, leased its Corona The- atre in Jackson Heights, Queens, N. Y., to G. S. & D. Aihus. Corp. Via long-term deal consummated through. Berk & Krumgold. House ‘ • 1,600-seater. Ethel Croog, „ secretary to Ed- ward L. Kingsley of Kingsley In- ternational Bix, leaving that organ- ization this month to wed. William K. Everson, publicity lanager for Allied Artists Inter- na ti on al Corp., addressed Spring- field. Mass. Motion. Picture Coun- cil Friday (19) on “History of the Western.” - cities. CHICAGO Stan; Kohlberg. reopening Park Ave. Theatre in Park Ridge after house.had been closed 18 years. B&K installed C-Scope in 'its Paradise, Portage, Broadway Strand; Coronet and Luna The-, atres recently, making 35 of the circuit’s houses so equipped. Film Council of America seek- ing 10 jurors for next .year’s Golden Reel Film Festival. Irving Li ick, with . Warner theatre chai here for .20, years, joined State - Lake managerial staff. Monroe Theatre dosed for day and half last week to install C’Scope and stereophonic sound. State-Lake has “20,000 Leagues Under Sea” set for Christmas week, “Hansel and Crete?,” slated for. Loop .Theatre .Christina's week, be- ing tied in with local stores and cookie companies, ; Lois Cohen taking over booking duties at Paramount for Ramona Hamilton, who resigned to become assistant to Harris Dudelson at Buena Vista Films, Walt Disney reps. Will Methe, veteran B&K man- ager, undergoing surgery at Hines Hospital. Abe. Gilman opened new Buena Vista office in Indianapolis, where he ? s been made sales manager. Bill Hollander, B&K chief, pub- licist, ..back froi six weeks in Europe with his wife; Milwaukee T.o.wne Theatre case placed on Federal District Court calendar, with no date set as yet by Judge Julius Hoffman.. Teitel Films plucked Swedish film, ^Illicit Interlude,” for mid- western distribution. Allied Theatres of Illinois hold- ing 24th anni celebration at Chez Paree Dec. 29 with Van Npmikqs as general chairman;, Jack Clark, arrangements chairman; Bruce Trinz as . publicist, and Charles Lind a u and Jack RoSe in charge of ticket sales. PALLAS A1 Reynolds, general manager of Ezell & Associates, announced the circuit acquired, the Buckner Bou- levard Drive-In here from the In- terstate Theatre Circuit as well as the Hi-Park in San Antonio from Alex & Weaver. .. Bob Vaught and Hugh Milling- ton; opened their new C’Scope equipped Pioneer ozoner between Cross Plains and Rising Star. Rubin Frels, operator of tile Frols Circuit, observing his 40th Abe Levi sold his Texas Theatre at Wacft to Eddie Fadal who oper- ates the Coronet there. Kenneth K. Smith named manager. The. New Star opened in Teague,, by the Harris Bros., replacing the Star Theatre which was -opened there in 1919: Floyd Faubion made manager: Tom Sumners will further ex- pand his theatre interests in San Antonio when he takes over man- agement of the. Hi-Ho Theatre from Gidney Talley, Sumners is already operating . the Josephine, Laurel and Woodlawn Theatres and the El Capitan Drive In. The Hi-Ho Will operate on a three day per week policy, Friday through Sunday. G. W, Wooteh, formerly chief of base photo lab at Kelly Air Force Base, took over operation of the Sunset, a nabe house which has been shuttered since ^February; for- merly operated theatre for years in south Texas. " . " After 17 years in the boxoffice Of Empire Theatre, Ann Schafer is moving over to a similar post at the State in San Antonio: Vernon L. Smith, Metro film exchange salesman, promoted, to sales manager to assist Louis J. Weber. James Laney of Atlanta named new manager of Hi-Ho Theatre in Sari Antonio by 1 new owner, Torn Sumner, who recently bought the house f roiri Gidney Talley. The H. & : H. Amus. Co,, headed by O, L. Lowery and B. J. Hardy, opened the Glade Drive-In at Gladewater following moderniza- tion and installation of. C’Scope. Fred Frick made manager of ozoner,. coming from circuit’s head- quarters at Nacogdoches.. Alva S. Straight sold Rung The- atre at Rung to Mr. and Mrs. Don W.°Trisko, who have been operat- ing house for last 10 inbnths, A. i7?year-old high school, youth at Alice given 30-day jail sentence for taking a speaker from, Buck- horn Drive-In operated by''H, C. Gunter. Franc*, Anyone? Producers Representatives, Inc., N. Y. outfit which han- dles distribution matters for indie filmmakers, is on the prowl for a “compensation” deal with anyone with, or about to have, a project in France. V PRI has nearly $200,000 blocked in that country, rep- resenting francs owned - by its producer clients. Aimed for is a, swap for American dollars. ‘Family Features’ ST. LOUIS . VIrgi . ia" Davis, formerly pub- licity agent at Hotel Chase, and Kay Morton, formerly at KXOK, launched own ad public relations agency. The Lemay, St. Louis County, re- lighted after having been dark since last July, by the owner, Mrs. Ella Maury. WehrenbCrg Circuit operated house at time of shutter- ing. The Cluster Theatres reopened its Lyric, Salem, 111., dark for 20 months, , The Salem will continue to operate. . Merchants in Neoga, III., re- opened the Neoga, dark since last April with Kermit A. Bushur operating. “The Robe” was first film shown on G’Scope screen installed in the Lincoln, Robinson, 111. St. Louis Amus, Co., relighted its Lafayette, shuttered last July when the. cooling system broke down;. The Girard, Girard, 111., reopened by Roy Hess; house was darkened several months ago. A drive for toys for the under- privileged at Xmas produced 10,- 000 toys at. 19 nabes; a toy was accepted in lieu of cash at a special Saturday program. HARTFORD Judge of Probate Joseph .A. Adorno, who steps down from the county post in January, will be honored at a testimonial dinner hosted by Middletown Municipal Employes’ Assn. He’s a son of . Sal |: Adorno Sr., gin., of the M&D. Ther alres, Middletown, Conn. Albert M. Pickus,. ownei\ of the Stratford Theatre, and a national TOA vp„ elected to the board of Stratford (Conn.) Chamber of Commerce. . A. J. (Jack) Bronstei . president, South Windsor Conn.) Realty Corp., planning world's largest ozoner, 2,010-car capacity. Meadows Drive-In, Hartford, has left for Los Angeles to inspect drive-i prop- erties, .The Hartford project Will be built by the Meadpws Drive-In Theatre Corp. also headed by Bronstei n, Nick E. Brickates, manager of the Stanley-Warner.. Garde, New London, Conn., upped to. Connect- icut district manager for the cir- cuit, succeeding late James F. McCarthy. In liis new post; Brickates, a 26-year, veteran of the film industry, will supervise 14 SW • installations throughout Conncct- l icut. Continue^ from page 3. jjj # pix they accuse Hollywood of ne- glecting. It’s pointed out further than the “family” type of film which Rho- den Wants to see. made, is of the small-budget variety that has prac- tically disappeared from the mar- ket. “It’s no accident that we’re no longer malting ‘family’ films like the ‘Andy Hardy’series,” one exec observed: ‘‘They were discontinued for .the simple reason that they didn’t pay.” The N. Y; powwow tied in closely with the work already undertaken by the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, The accent was on more intense research as a means of widening the audience. While no concrete decisions were reached; and no further meet; was immedi- ately skedded Al Lichtmah, 20 th- Fox director: of sales; and the dis- tribs’ rep on the COMPO trium- virate, will report on the meet’s findings at the ttext COMPO exec session in N. Y. Nov. 15, Attending for TOA were E. D. Martin, its new prexy; Walter RCade Jr., board .chairman, at whose request, the get-together was arranged, and United Parariipunt’s Leonard Goldenson. ' Following the COMPO meet, ‘'direct means of cooperation between the. distribs and COMPO will be sought, arid the necessary commit- tees will be named. Rapid growth of the. potential juvenile audience was discussed by the participants, in the N. Y. meet. It’s felt that, in view of the com- petition from tv, the film industry must. accentuate its pitch for the young. Cited is the example of Michael Myerberg’s “Hansel a.nd Gretel” puppet pic. Point is made, however; that any large number of such films might well turn out to be a drug on the market. Exhibs Won’t Look Continued from page 3 tories absolutely refuse to handle foreign pictures, although they’re, in. English, Puciato is waging. a dne-mari campaign to break the no- foreign picture barrier. In a letter to Bennie Berger, -head of North Central Allied, one of the holdout, areas,. Puciato stated: “There are, several independent distributors besides myself who have top qual- ity film but find we can get no business, out of not only Minneap- olis territory,: but Des Moines- Omaha, Kansas City and. St. Louis as well.” Puciato noted that franchise holders, “know that it is impos- sible to sell you fellows excellent pictures because you are deter- mined not to play any foreign pic- tures, even though they are . being played by the top theatres” in other territories, « Pointing out that Berger arid other Allied, members are asking the Government for help, Puciato asks “Don’t you think before you do anything like this you should at least screen the pictures that are available to you’’ and which “cannot even be brought into your territories .because yoii boys are not even, interested?” Lester Kropp’s Comment St. Louis, Nov. 23. As spokesman arid president of the Missouri-Illinois Theatre Own- ers,; a post to . which he was re- elected several weeks ago; Lester R. Kropp describes exhibs in the St. Louis area as alarmed over the existing shortage of product and asks the distribs to give relief to the small theatres.. Kropp said, “We wish to com- mend 20th Century-Fo^ for the stand, it has taken to stimulate in- dependent product but we'view with alarm fhe existing shortage of product and implore producers to hasten the. availability of all product in 2-D so that the little fellow who cannot afford all the new modern equipment will be able to exist.” ♦» ♦ » » » 1 { » ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ t ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ » M » ♦ ♦ 4 4 ♦ ■ ♦♦♦♦ Hollywood, Nov, 23. Joan Woodward signed an exclu- sive contract with' 20th-Fox . . National Legion of Decency handed a “B” rating to United Artists’ “The, Golden Mistress” because of “suggestive costuniing and situations.” . ... Edward Lp AL person’s National Pictures took over production of “The Nunjber One”, arid . retitled it “Magnificent Matador” . . . Peggy King checked in at U for a song specialty ill “Abbott arid Costello in the Mum m y” . Irving Wallace signed a term writing contract at Warners - . . Don Mankiewicz will screenplay his own novel, “Trial for production by Charles Schnee at Metro , ... Herbert Rudley joined the cast of “The Court Jester” at Pararriount . . ...Hank Marin drew a comic role in Parariiount’s “You’re Never Tob . Young” . . . Charles Boyer returning to Metro vfor the first time in 10 years to co-star in “The Cobweb/' Victor ; Mature will star i Co- lumbia’s “The. Gilded Rooster;” with William Fadiman producing and Robert Parrish directing . William Hopper snagged a featured role in U’s “Tacey” . . ... Touch Connors set for a key role in the Roger Corman production, “Five Guns West” , > ,. Columbia handed Dick York a term . player, contract, ,,. Nat Holt allocated ari ad budget, of $250,000 for his indie, “Seven Bad Men.” . . . Harry Tatelman and Robert Wilder teamed up to prbduce the latter’s Stoiy, “Bright Shadow” ;. Cameraman Robert Surtees renewed by Metro for five year! arid assigned to “Ben Hur.” . . . Bill Boyett spotted by Warners in ‘.‘Strange. Lady in Town” ..... Vince Edwards and Hildy Parks to star in Andrew Stone’s indie, “Terror In the Night,” at Colum- bia . . . Robert L. Lippert Optioned Johanna Matz for a picture to be made abroad in 1955, Columbia assigned Kim Novak to star in “Antonia,” to be pro- duced by Roy Huggins who \vrote the original . . , Henny Backus drew a featured role in Metro’s Blackboard Jungle” ; . . Agnes Moorehead will join Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in U’s “All That Hqpven Allows” . . . Alan Ladd’s next Jaguar production for War- ners will be “The Darkest Hour,”, based on a hovel by William P. Mc- Givern . . Charles . Brackett as- signed to produce “Of Hopq^ and GlOry,” a Lionel Shapiro hovel re- cently purchased by 20th-Fox Eve Miller will play one the top roles in W. Lee Wilder’s “The Big Bluff;” replacing Beverly Tyler who is ill . .. Republic renewed director William .Witney for an-; other year . . Metro signed Hugh Fregonese to direct ‘ “The King’s Thief,” co-starring Edmund Pur-’ dom and. Michael Wilding. Gloria de Haven signed for sec- ond femme lead in Frederick Bris- sori’s ‘The Girl Rush” at Para- mount . . . Pete Smith completed “The Fall Guy,” tenth and final film of his 1954-55 “Specialties” schedule at Metro , , . Hal Wallis bought Julius Epstein's original, “All Around the Town,” as a star- rer for Martin and Lewis George Wells assigned to produce' My Most Intimate Friend;” slated to co-star' Lana Turner and Ava Gardner at Metro . . . British a.c- tress Joan Collins drew a term contract at 20th-Fox . . . Hayes Goetz purchased “General Hospi- tal,” by Henry Juros Donor, as his next film for Allied Artists .. . . Paramount signed Gig Yftung to replace Arthur Franz in “The Des- perate Hours” . . . Betty Caulfield resumes her film career with a role in “A Man Galled Peter” at 20th- Fox . , Edward: G. Robinson will star In “Illegal,” to be produced, for Warners by Frank Rosenberg. Richard Basehart will co-star with Neville Brand in Allied Art- ists’ “Hold Back the Night” Max Palmer snagged a role in W. Lee Wilder’s “The Big Bluff” , . Mamie. Van Doren. will double, as co-star arid technical adviser on chorine sequences i “Third Girl From the Right” . .. . Jack Pollex- fen signed Marvin Press for his indie, “The Indestructible Man” . . Anri Codee and Janice Carroll joined the “Daddy Long Legs” cast at 20th-Fox . . Allied Artists signed Scot Lee for "Code Three’’ . . Frank McCarthy arid William. Lowe took an option, on film rights to an untitled novel Ernest Hem- ingway is writing in Cuba ... Edgar Stehli signed by Metro for a role in “The Cobweb” . . . Larry Harmon snagged a role in Howco!s “Kentucky Rifle” . . . R. Wright Campbell, sCripter of “Five Guns West,” will double as an actor in the Roger Corman production. William Rowland, Monte Brice and Irma Berk registered the title “Juvenile, Jilrigle” for indie pro- ductioiL^, -i . - John Houseman ap- pointed Act the Screen Producers Guild’s board, replacing Louis D. Llghton who is leaving on a world tour ’. . , Ann Blyth returning to Metro as fenrine lead opposite Ed- mund .Purdrim in “The King’s Thief” . . . William Faralla organ- ized an indie unit for production of films in Europe . . . Robert Al- drich signed Albert Dekker for a role iri “Kiss Me Deadly” . Carrol! McComas and Mark Hanna, joined the cast of Sam Katzman’s “Chicago Syndicate” . . . First as- signment for Robert Wise under his new director contract . with Metro is “Bannon,” starring Spen- cer Tracy . . Danny Kaye signed a troupe of 18 midget acrobats for “The Court Jester” at Paramount. Arine Baxter gets the fei me lead in U’s remake of “The Spoil- ers.” to be produced by Robert Arthur . . Band’ leader Leighton Noble plays a. police dispatcher in Allied Artists’ “Code Three” Warners signed, Lowell Gilmore for- a featured role in “The Sea Chase” . .. . U bought “The White King,” authored by Samuel B. Har- rison and assigned Aaron Rosen- berg as producer . . . Metro cast Chris Randall in “The Blackboard Jungle” ;.. Dana Andrews checked into Warners for resuiription of work on “Strange Lady in Town” . . . Fay Morley joined the “Tacey” .cast at U ... Paraimount. signed Miml Aguglia for a spot in “Th Rose Tattoo” . . Ann Wilner snagged a role in “A Man Called Peter’’ at 20th-Fox . Columbia' bought Arthur Gordon’s 'Original. “Reprisal.” . Hugo Haas borrowed Cleo Moore; from Columbia to star iri his indie, “No Toiriorrow” ; . . Anna Sten re- turns to the screen to play a saloon keeper in “Soldier of Forturie” at ,20th-Fox . , . Ella Fitzgerald will team with Frank Sinatra ip a song number for “Finian's Rainbow” ... Rathe lab closed a deal to process three: pictures for Palo Alto . Pro- ductions, starting with . “Five Guns West” .• Shirley. Yamaguchi signed by 20th-Fox for. a role in “The Tokyo Story” . . , Bert Freed drew a part in Paramount’s “The Desperate Hours” . . David Ben- esty, boy soprano, set to vocalize background music for “The Silver Chalice” at Warners! Continued from page 7 Iy, he made the point that first-ru houses are the ones feeling a prod- uct shortage and are in most need of additional pictures. Exec point- ed to Boston as ah example. Hub town, he said, has six important showcase theatres and often each of them needs a new “A”, piri on a weekly change. Very much in con- trast! he adds, with the suburbi house which has all six Boston firstruns to feed from. Subject of criticism, too, was DCA’s suspected idea of staggering the release of a film territory by territory as a means of cutting down on the number of required prints. Boasberg conceded this is tentatively planned as an economy measure, underlining that a Cine- mascope print, for instance, costs $1,100 and to blanket the country with availabilities would require 600 prints at extremely hefty ex- pense. In comparison, ohly 225 prints. of “Silver” have been or- dered. The v.p. said DC A will step up the order under exhibitor. pressure r—Seattle theatremen might de- mand a pic if Boston has it and they need it—but he added his own expressed suspicion that even the major companies are trying; their utmost to slice their print orders. , If one area has a DC A pic sub- sequent to another Wouldn't this dissipate the effect of national . ad- vertising coinciding with the first playoffs? Boasberg’s. answer to thi js he simply doesn’t see real value in national advertising for individ- ual pix. Instead, he underlines the importance of local, point-of-sale promotion. Experience has shown, he argues, that a successful, first- run engagement is followed by successful subsequent runs and. dismal showcasing means dismal follow-up runs in each area. Thi. means, he concludes, that each ex- change city opening must be cam- paigned for individually and not made part of an. overall national approach.