Variety (December 1954)

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WolnMKlay. December 15, 1954 PICTURES KAZAN: STUDIOS STILL IN RUT Saluting The Exhibitor Metro’s pitch to make 1955 a “salute to the theatre and the exhibitor” might well become an all-industry, alltime credo. And perhaps the best New Year’s resolution for the picture business as a whole. It’s about time. Probably no other business indulges in as many tiffs as the wholesalers and retailers in the film industry. One is dependent upon the other, and recognition of mutual problems has been traditional with the picture business from its shoestring and storeshow days to the affluent era of Hollywood. As vet indie exhibitor Sam Rinzler once cracked, “One more Governmental assistance to ‘improve’ our lot and we’ll be im- proved right out of business.” He was referring to the realiza- tion that block booking wasn’t the big bad bogey of the industry as so many other exhibitors alleged. Result is that, in the quest for "quality” product, the film selling has become a seller’s market. » Metros spearheading of its next year’s showmanship and salesmanship borders on statemanship at a time when it’s most badly needed to cement relations and improve the bonds between the Hollywood production-distribution line and the exhibitors, the middlemen. • The exhibitor is not the congenital freeloader always. He must get it up to meet technological progress and its demands for new media of projection and exhibition—new sound, new screens, costlier equipment. Of course the best way to “salute” the exhibitor is to give him good pictures. The Metro move, in all events, is not only an in- stitutional pitch by one major outfit but a good formula for all. Abel Eastman Kodak New Color Film Due in Spring Eastman Kodak has set next spring as the target date for pro- duction of its new color film which is expected to bring down the price of the EK tint rawstock at least slightly. The new print material is sim- pler to make and has been in the developmental stages for many months. Instead of the seven lay- ers of which the current material is made up, the new base will have only four layers and will therefore be easier to handle. Work being done by EK on the new positive was disclosed in Variety over a year ago. It was strenuously (and sarcastically) de- nied at that time not only by East- man, but also by the Technicolor rep in N.Y. Just what difference the new film base will make to producers, whose print supply cost has sky- rocketed since the advent of Cinemascope and the extensive use of Eastman color in preference to Technicolor’s imbibition process, isn't certain. It’s expected that the drop will be slight, at least at the . start. As volume production gets under way, it may become more significant. It's the current price of the Eastman tint rawstock—4.15c per foot which, the labs say, is keep- ing print costs up. Eastman color positive is being turned out at about 6.25c per foot, which com- pares with Techni’s 5.25c for im- ♦ i' , ^ P rin ts. It’s understood t iat Eastman cannot reduce the P 1 ice of the rawstock currently in Use since, from the very start, it "as computed on the basis of vol- ume turnout. BOSTON PAIR PRODUCING Use Scollay Sq. Theatre as Studio For ‘A Clerical Error’ Boston, Dec. 14. Bryant Halliday and Cy Harvey, operators of the Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, who recently formed Janus Films, to distribute foreign films, are now set to enter the pro- duction biz, with plans to produce a short based on James Gould Cos- zens Pulitzer Prize winning novel of some years ago, “A Clerical Er- ror.” Pic will be directed by Miles Morgan and co-star Martin Kos- leck and Ward Costello. The Scollay Square Theatre, which is slated to be torn down to make room for a parking space, will be used as a studio. Pic, aimed at art house circuit, is expected to be ready for distribution in Feb- ruary. Allied Artists Recruits 8 Actors as Core’of Its First Stock Company Hollywood, Dec. 14. • n a move to develop young play- eis ll) fit in with the company’s expansion plans, Allied Artists will ■« a " ,ze it* firs * stock company, an. !1F ln Januar y* As a starter, '<01 ding to executive producer "alter Mirisch, eight thesps will u<> siqncd and more added Jater <l<‘nt scouts will seek promis- ing youngsters both here and a u-oad for screen tests shortly! *Uer the first of the year, 1 Delay Burstyn Award To View ‘Game of Love’; ‘Hulot’ and ‘Gate’ Rate Selection of a foreign-language film to receive the 1954 Joseph Burstyn award from the Independ- ent Motion Picture Distributors Assn, was delayed last week to give the group’s award committee a chance to view a latecomer, the French "The Game of Love” which opened in N. Y. yesterday (Tues.). Arthur Mayer, IMPDA prexy, acknowledged that the choice this year would be difficult due to the limited number of top foreign pix imported. Prominently in the* run- ning are the Japanese “Gates of Hell” and two French pix, "Les Plaisirs” and “Mr. Hulot’s Holi- day.” There’s some sentiment also for the Italian “Bread, Love and Dreams.” From a strictly commercial point of view the most successful b.o. (Continued on page 20) GLAMOR PENETRATES TO DEEPEST IDAHO Hollywood, Dec. 14. Hollywood Coordinating Com- mittee booked eight players tb en- tertain servicemen at the isolated Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Christmas Day. All the entertainers have toured abroad in previous years but have been pre- vented from going overseas this year because of prior commit- ments. TfDupe consists of Eddie Fisher, Patti Nestor, Debbie Reynolds, Barbara Ruick, Bill Shirley, Bobby Tucker, Gloria Winters and Keen- an Wynn. They will be the first group from Hollywood to visit the Idaho site. OFFBEAT FILMS By WHITNEY WILLIAMS Hollywood, Dec. 14. Hollywood producers should get out of their rut and not be afraid to take unusual themes to the pub- lic, according to producer-director Elia Kazan, prior to leaving Holly- wood for N.Y. Taking issue with industry “os- triches” who “continue to stick their heads in the sand and make the same movies their fathers made before them,” Kazan pointed to the historical box-office success of films w'hich had departed from the standard tradition of “young love, boy meets girl, father in trouble or just plain nonsense themes.” The industry, he said, can con- tinue to make money if it con- tinues to stray from the straight and narrow path of conforming to tradition. In discussing the point Kazan would mention only his own “East of Eden” and “On the Waterfront” as examples of his theory. “Eden’s” success remains to be proven, but Columbia’s anticipated world-wide gross on the Sam Spiegel produc- tion dorie by Kazan is now esti- mated at $8,000,000,, he reported. Historically, however, Kazan has been associated w'ith a succession of “different” films including “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Gentle- men’s Agreement”—for which he (Continued on page 21) Chayefsky’s Credo: A Writer Must Protect His Script By Producing It; So He’s Boning Up On Film Biz Univeraal't Salat Manager Charles J. Feldman Diacustoi Prints: Depends on the Film's Selling * * * on editorial feature in the forthcoming 49 th Anniversary IS umber of P'SniETY OIJT SOON Tight Title* Hollywood, Dec. 14. Selection of a film title seems to be a simple job. but not according to Robert L. Lippert whose “Adventure in Rio” was changed because it conflicted with “So This Is Rio” and “Star of Rio.” So he tagged his picture “They Were So Young,” only to find that it conflicted with “You’re Never Too Young,” “The Good Die Young" and “The Young in Heart.” Exhibs Go to TV For Kid Stuff Failure of the filmmakers to make suitable pictures for the Sat- urday kiddie trade has exhibitors contemplating the use of tv mate- rial. This was indicated by Denver circuit operator Pat McGee in a talk last week before the South Dakota Exhibitors Assn. McGee complained that his Sat- urday afternoon program was de- teriorating because he could find no replacements for pictures cur- rently being shown and that exhibs were being forced to repeat fea- tures already shown. “It has reached the point in my booking problem,” McGee said, “that I am giving a lot of thought to picking up some of the tv pro- grams, such as those of Mickey Rooney and ‘My Little Margie.’ Surely producers could make worthwhile kiddie programs on which they could at least break even. If they can be made for tele- vision why can’t they be made for this especial purpose?” National Boxoffice Survey Pre-Holiday Clips Biz; ‘Xmas’ Champ for 7th Wk. In Row; ‘Paris’ 2d, ‘Cinerama,’ ‘Desiree’ Next Customary pre-Christmas slump is at hand. Only in St. Louis was there any apparent resistance • the drastic downbeat. Most ex- hibitors are coasting with current fare or juggling playdates. with reissues or any available product, to tide them over until later this month. Even such boxoffice champs as "White Christmas” (Par) and “Last Time I Saw Paris” (M-G) are feel- ing the opposition from Xmas shopping. But these are two of the few r films still to do excellent trade in a majority of spots. “Xmas” is No. 1 at the wickets for seventh consecutive week, in a tight race with “Paris.” The Bing Crosby-Danny Kaye starser is good to brisk in most locations, show- ing some amazing strength in such southern keys as Miami Beach, At- lanta and Montgomery, Ala. In several keys, it is playing pres- ently in sixth and seventh weeks. Pic went eight smash weeks at N.Y. Music Hall. “Paris.” second-place winner, is playing in some 11 keys covered by Variety, with showings run- ning from good to hot generally. “Cinerama” (Indie), which is bat- tling the offish tone better than many other pix, is taking third money. * “Desiree” (20th) is finishing fourth, holding up well. "Carmen Jones,” also from 20th-Fox, is landing in fifth' spot. “Star Is Born” (WB) is holding to sixth position. “Track of Cat” (WB), while not strong in many places, is doing enough biz to get seventh place. “Black Knight,” (Col), with a batch of fresh bookings, is winding up eighth. “Athena” (M-£), also with additional playdates* is landing ninth position while “Sitting Bull” <UA> is taking 10th. “Phffft” (Col), “Passion” (RKO), “Bengal Brigade” <U) and “She- Wolf” (Rep) are runner-up pix in that order. Few newcomers currently. “Deep in My Heart” (M-G) is standout, with a terrific opening session at N Y. Music Hall. "Reap Wild Wind” (Par), out on reissue, is brisk in Chi and fair in K.C. “Sabrina” (Par), which has fin- ished most of its bigger key city dates, still is good to fancy in some four locations. “Barefoot Contessa” (UA), in much the same category, shapes neat to tall in some five keys. “On Waterfront” (Col) looms fine in a couple of k^ cities. “Drum Beat” (WB) looks neat in Chi and good in Boston. “Fire Over Africa” (Col) is trim in Bos- ton and oke in Cincy. “Trouble in Glen” (Rep) is doing nicely in St. Louis. “Glenn Miller Story” (U>, out on reissue, is rated good in Toronto. “Down 3 Dark Streets” (UA). good in Cleveland, shapes lively in Washington, D. C. (Complete Boxoffice Reports on By FRED HIFT Far from being discouraged by his bitter-sweet taste of Hollywood via the making of, “Marty,” the HechULancaster production, tv writer Paddy Chayefsky is now en- tering upon a course of pic biz apprenticeship which, he hopes, will eventually land him in a pro- ducer’s chair on Ihe Coast. First of the tv scribes to make the transition from livingroom to theatre screen, Chayefsky gets both screen writer credits—he adapted “Marty” from one of his own tv shows — and associate producer credits in the film. And while he’s still a writer at heart he feels that the only way he’ll ever make a go of it in Hollywood is by turning out his own pix. “I can’t understand a writer do- ing a script and then just leaving it alone for someone else to tamper with,” he said in N. Y. last week. "That’s why I wouldn’t agree to sell some of my scripts, although I've had very good offers for them. And of course I’m aware of the (Continued on page 20) Opera Into Its Own Via Stereo, Says Bimbaum Music department at 20th-Fox is making every effort to fill the fourth or “surround” soundtrack on its CinemaScope pictures, ac- cording to Leon Birnbaum, head music film editor at 20th. In N. Y. to help plug “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” on which he worked, Birnbaum (Continued on page 24) \ Trad* Mark Registered FOUNDED BY 8IME SILVERMAN Publish** W**kly by VARIKTY, INC Harold Erichs, President 134 Wast 46th St New York 36. N.Y JUdson 2-2700 Hollywood 21 6311 Yucca Street HOUywood 9-1141 Washington 4 1292 National Press Building STerling 3-5443 Chicago II 612 No. Michigan Av*. DEiaware 7-4984 London WC2 8 St. Martin’a Pi., Trafalgar Sq. Temple Bar 5041 SUBSCRIPTION Annual gio Foreign gll Single Copies 25 Cents ABEL GREEN, Editor Vol. 197 120 No. 2 Pages 8 9) INDEX Bills 62 Chatter 70 Concert-Opera 68 Film Reviews 6 House Reviews 60 Ice Show Review 58 Inside Legit 64 Inside Pics 24 Inside Radio-TV 39 International 12 Legitimate 63 Literati 69 Music / 48 New Acts 60 Night Club Reviews 60 Obituaries 71 Pictures .... 3 Radio-Television 31 Radio Reviews 38 Record Reviews 48 Frank Scully 69 Television Reviews 34 TV-Films ; 45 Unit Reviews 62 Vaudeville 56 Wall Street 21 DAILY VARIETY (Published in Hollywood by Dally Variety. Ltd ) 815 a Year 820 Foreign