Variety (December 1954)

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4 PICTURES Wednesday, December 22, 1954 No ‘Paradise’ for Yvonne de Carlo, Who Regrets Film Straight Pay Deal By GEORGE GILBERT Freelancing may have its finan- cial hazards but to Yvonne De Carlo it’s been a trip around the world. For in the last 18 months the actress has made more than a half-dozen films in such varied lo- cales as Britain. Germany. France and E'Jypt. Fact she’s made so manv pix abroad has no special significance to her, she said in N r w York this week, for “I take the work where it’s offered and the pictures were all for American co™'narues anyway.” Miss De Carlo, who recently re- turned to the U. S.. has been busy- ing herself in behalf of Allied Artists’ ‘Tonight’s the Night” which preemed a fortnight ago at Minneapolis’ Radio City Theatre. On the scene there for several davs she said she was impressed with the spontaneous enthusiasm of filmpoers she met. “Tonight’s the Night,” in which Miss De Carlo costars with David Niven and Barry Fitzgerald, will have its New York unveiling to- night (Wed.) at the Trans-Lux 52nd St. Theatre. Opening night fan- fare will, be televised via WPIX and receipts from the initial show- ing are for the benefit of the New Yo r k Foundling Hospital. Miss De Carlo, whom Universal likes to take credit for building up, made “Tonight” last year in Eng- land. starred in “La Castiglione” for Warners in France last winter, did “Magic Fire” in Germany last spring for Republic and after that went to Egypt for locations on Cecil B. DeMille’s “Ten Command- ments.” Last summer she returned to the U. S. to do “Shotgun,” a John Champion production for AA release. Somewhat blase and almost cyni- cal, Miss De Carlo says she doesn’t worry or concern herself unduly about the business aspect of things for she has three managers look- (Continued on page 18) SEVERANCE SETTLEMENTS $1,000 to Gandel—$3,500 to Handel Under SPG Pact The Screen Publicists Guild, representing pub-ad staffers of five homeoffiee film companies, recently made settlements of $1,000 with Universal and about $3,500 with United Artists. Coin involved severance pay for staffers who exited the company because of disputes with management. The $1,000 went to William Gan- del who was summarily .dismissed by U after he denounced Sen. Wil- liam Jenner during an appearance before the Senate Internal Secur- ity Committee. Charles Handel, vet UA staffer, was reinstated to his post follow- ing a disagreement with publicity toppers. However, upon his rein- statement he resigned and under an agreement between the SPG and UA rceived back pay plus sever- ance coin totaling about $3,500. Sponsored Premieres Of Big Films Strictly Okay by Exploiters The motion picture business is becoming increasingly aggressive and ingenious in promoting bigger and better “free” plugs on tv. Latest example is 20th-Fox which had its Roxy preem of "There’s No Business Like Show Business” covered via a one-hour telecast on WPIX which sold the segment to Nash. According to Charles Einfcld, 20th ad-pub v.p., the company in the future will throw open all of its openings to sponsored telecasts. In addition, 20th is filming its gala preems and is shipping out the newsreel clips to tv stations as a gratis service. Glamour parade that accompanies the pic bows is a big incentive for the stations to run the foolage. In a different way, Universal also is promoting tv plugs. Colgate Hour's full-blown treatment of “So This Is Paris,” starring several of the pic’s top stars, had sock im- pact and, apart from everything else, helped "sell” the talent along with the upcoming pic. Ed Sullivan’s CBS-tv “Toast of the Town” show Sunday devoted considerable time to Sullivan’s filmed visit with Stanley Kramer on the "Not As a Stranger.” It shaped as a sock plug for the pic and. incidentally, also as good tv fare. Feeling prevails* that, without actually cooperating with the tv medium to the point where it be- comes an economic disadvantage, the film industry hasn’t begun to really exploit all its potential pro- motional advantages anent its elec- tronic competition. Wisdom of "using tv on certain type pix is bo ing recognized by exhibs as w'bll as distribs. Latter are now’ think- ing in more ambitious terms than mere trailer plugs. Neil Agnew Sells ‘Day’ Neil Agnew, veteran distribution exec, has been named sales mana- ger for “Day of Triumph,” re- ligioso film being distributed by George J. Schaefer. Agnew has been ales head for Paramount and Sclznick Releasing Organization, among others. Yank Film Firms Moulding Policy Re ANICA Setup American film companies’ for- eign toppers are getting their heads together on policy to be followea under the proposed revisions of the distributors’ section of ANICA, the Italian film trade organization. Lengthy “Guide” on the subject is being distributed by the Motion Picture Export Assn, and its essence is also being transmitted to the Continental managers in Paris. While not all of the details are known in N.Y., the companies understand that ANICA proposes to take three major steps, at least one of them agreed on in N Y. during the last visit here of Eitel Monaco, ANICA topper. Revamped distrib section will vote on the basis of a two-thirds majority. The three classifications within the section, breaking dis- tribs down in local and national (Continued on page 23) Budd Schulberg bat tom* interesting views en How Much Do You Want to Do It? an editorial pieca in tha forthcoming I 49 th Anniversary Number of y^KlETY OUT SOON Johnston Reports; Hopeful Japan Won’t Worsen Film companies’ foreign man- agers, sitting as the Motion Pic- ture Export Assn, board, met in N. Y. last week (27) to hear Eric Johnston, MPF.A prexy, report on his recent month-long trip to the Far East. Johnston dwelt at length on the situation in Japan, expressing the belief that there would be no cut in American imports or remit- tances in that area for the new film year which starts April 1. He also outlined various compensation deals he discussed in Tokyo and Manila. MPEA chief had stated earlier that he expected to return to Japan prior to the opening of the film year. Irving Maas, MPEA’s Far Eastern supervisor who re- cently returned from Japan, said the Johnston visit to Tokyo has done “a lot of good” and had cre- ated a very favorable impression among Japanese officials con- cerned w'ith problems of finance and- importation. For the 1954-55 year, the Japa- nese had cut American imports by 20%, to 101 permits. It’s under- stood that, in their preliminary discussions with Maas. Tokyo au- thorities had indicated that, due to the precarious economic posi- tion of their country, permits allo- cated the Americans might have to be cut back further. Board also briefly discussed the situation in Pakistan where an agreement on a remittance split pends. RKO’s Loss-Carry-Forward a Puzzle Odium and Grainger Estimates of Crucial Accountancy Value Differ by $10,000,000 UA NIXES $12 DEMAND Publicists Guild Wage Issue May Go to Arbitration Request for a $12 across-the- board wage hike by United Artists homeoffiee pub-ad staffers has been nixed by the UA manage- ment. However, talks between UA and the Screen Publicists Guild, representing the pub-ad staffers, are continuing, and if no agree- ment is reached by Dec. 31, the wage question goes to arbitration. UA and the SPG are currently operating under a two-yeat* paci which allows for reopening of wage negotiations after one year. It is the only film company whose mem- bers are affiliated with the SPG which consented to a wage reopen- ing clause when the contract was signed a year ago. Flick Tskt-Tskts Brutal Judo In Screen Brawling Hugh M. Flick, the N. Y. censor, has joined others in the film biz in deploring a rising tendency towards excessive violence in pix. Although his board has no direct power to deal with the problem. Flick Is still trying to do some- thing about it. He said in N. Y. Monday (20) that he was engaged in “a quiet sort of campaign” against screen brutality. To convey his feelings in the matter, he’s had conversa- tions with various company execs, trying to point out to them what he considers to be the unnecessary extent to which screen sadism is being carried. “It isn’t so much the fact that there is brutality on the screen,” he observed. “It’s the detail that’s now being shown. There isn’t such a thing as a plain, hard fist- fight anymore. Now it’s all judo, with a man hitting another man in the stomach or the neck and spine. The fights are. getting (Continued on page 18) SPIRITED QUESTI ONING AT COL UMBIA MEETING Momentarily Resembles Plot of ‘Solid Gold Cadillac 9 —Cohn Satisfies Heckling Lady —Columbia's Expansion Using Up Cash , Hence Dividends Via Stock By GENE ARNEEL Meeting of Columbia stockholders in N. Y. Fri- day (17) looked like a trailer for “Solid Gold Cadillac,” the legit play about a spinster’s heckling the management of a big corporation. ( It so hap- pens that Columbia has “Cadillac ” on its upcoming production schedule with Judy Holliday as the dis- sident stockholder. Also, Col president Harry Cohn had hoped that Miss Holliday would attend the Friday session—he states she's actually a Col share owner—but she couldn’t make it.) In the real life version. Miss Rosalind Copping, a familiar figure at many film company annual meet- ings, had a few barbed questions to level at Cohn. Such as, how much time he spent away from his job at the studio, the amount of his cut of Columbia profits, and why should the company go for par- ticipation deals where the talent “takes all of our money?” Cohn, presiding at the meeting with an assist from attorney Charles Schwartz, who’s corporate secre- tary, answered to Miss Copping’s apparent satis- faction that he’d been out due to illness for only two weeks, that he doesn’t have a percentage of earnings (although, he cracked. “I tried this once and couldn’t get away with it”), and lastly, Co- lumbia doesn’t get hooked nearly as badly as other companies in profit splits with directors, players, etc. Participation Deals Re those participation deals. Cohn said he fig- ured Paramount is coming to the surface with only 20% of the ownership of “White Christmas.” He added that “Warner Bros, does even worse, winding up with only 10% of one picture.” He didn’t iden- tify this film. Meeting, on the overall, was a mild one, bring- ing from the floor only a few other queries and the results were non-controvcrsial. When the mat- ter of extension of Cohn's employment contract was introduced, there was a show of interest in the proxy’s health and his age.. He's 03 and, said Cohn, "I’m willing to go five rounds with anyone in this room.” How come Columbia, with its unusually solid bal- ance sheet, is paying out dividends in stock rather than more cash? Abe Schneider, treasurer, took this one on, explaining that Col is growing bigger and, in effect, is putting its cash on hand, plus bank borrowings, to use in the expansion program. Cohn added the company is putting more money into a greater number of large productions. J Fiscal Motive s j Schneider said Col’s earnings in the first six months of the current fiscal year are continuing at a healthy rate and, further, cited Screen Gems, Col’s tv subsidiary, as a source of revenue of in- creasing stature. Gems’ gross last year was $3,000,000 and this year should be $6,000,000, he said. (Actually, other sources allegedly on the in- side believe the gross business this current year might be closer to $9,000,000). To a question about a common stock split, Schneider said this hasn’t yet been considered by the board but he emphasized that his answer didn’t mean that a split in the future is precluded as a possibility. Suggesting the split was management’s program, okayed by the stockholders, to increase to 2.000,000 the authorized stock issue. The stockholders, in formal vote, also reelected all members of the board, okayed extension of Cohn’s $3,500 weekly salary deal to Feb. 10, 1960, and defeated a minority investor’s proposal, which was opposed by management, to shift to the cumu- lative system of voting on board members. Lester Martin, who ranks as an important Col stockholder via ownership of close to 60.000 shares, attended the meeting but more or less quietly. When his name was suggested from the floor as a possible board member, Martin merely said he was not a candidate. Schwartz at one point commented that it would be “unwise and unbusinesslike” to invite Martin to the board since the latter is involved in a pro- tracted court, bout with the company based on his, Martin's, criticism of management's policies. The picture of RKO Pictures Corp. is more out of focus than ever. Currently a difference of $10,000,000 exists in estimates of what this corporate she’l is worth in terms of tax advantages’. Floyd Odium, head of Atlas Corp., who’s been angling for con- trol, told an Atlas stockholder meeting recently that the RKO outfit has a capital-loss-carry-for- .ward of $20,000,000. Thus, the company, if it were to embark on an investment career, would be free of any tax burden uo to that amount in capital gain proceeds. But James R. Grainger, presi- dent of RKO Pictures, thinks the amount involved “may be as much as approximately $30,000,000.” He said this was “based on prelimi- nary jfludy.” How Grainger and Odium could be so far apart in their computations was not ex- plained. Adding to the blur was a meet- ing of RKO Pictures board in N. Y. last Tuesday (14), followed th* next day by a letter from Grainger to all stockholders. Grainger dis- closed that Howard Hughes no longer has the privilege of selling his 1,262,120 shares back to the company at $6 per share. The time period for this had expired. He further stated that the Dec. 31 deadline by which other stock- holders might redeem their stock (Continued on page 23) L. A. to N. Y. Harry Ackerman Dana Andrews John Bash Robert F. Blumofe Charles Brackett David Brown Kelly Brown Billie Burke Louis Calhern Marion Carr Madeleine Carroll Marguerite Chapman Jackie Cooper James Dean Olivia De Havilland Nina Foch Henry Fonda Morey R. Goldstein Alan Hale Jr. Harold Hecht Henry Henigson James Hill Tab Hunter Frank King Charles Laughton James Lipton Peter Lorre Gordon MacRae Myron McCormick Franklin Pangborn Hildy Parks Otto Preminger Milton R. Rackmil Paul Raibourn Ronald Reagan Thelma Ritter Ann Robinson Robert Ryan Nicholas M. Schenck Joseph Schildkraut Martha Scott Norman Taurog Dan Terrell Tennessee Williams N. Y. to L. A. Larry Barrett Harry Cohn Joe Glaser Howard Keel * Dick Lyons Kenneth MacKenna Stanley Meyer Alexander Paal Jerry Piekman Ron Randell Selene Walters Robert Wells Europe to N.Y. Mattiwilda Dobbs Frances Goodrich Albert Hackett Sir Cedric Hardwick* Garson Kanin Prof. Marco Malinl Harry Morris Michael Murray Mark Robson Spyros P. Skouras Lizabeth Webb N. Y. to Europe Manny Ford F. Borden Mace Les Paul Irving Rapper John Sinn Tom Stathos Elizabeth Taylor Richard Todd Michael Wilding