Variety (December 1954)

Wednrtwlay* December 22, 1954 PICTURES LIBERIA: TAX ESCAPE HATCH Mann Urges All-Hollywood Pool Of Data and Experience Helpful To Native or Foreign Locations Hollywood, Dec. 21. Establishment of a central in- dustry bureau whereby all film companies, both major and indie, could avail themselves of a pool of information concerning location sites and conditions throughout the world is urged by Anthony Mann, who in his career as a director has probably shot as many big-scale pictures on location as any megger in the business. To emphasize his feeling in the matter. Mann this week wrote a letter to the Motion Picture Asso- ciation of America suggesting the formation of such an agency, which he believes would be of inestimable aid and value to production away from Hollywood, and lead to great- er cooperation in the making of films. Move in no wise would effect present location departments in studios, Mann pointed out—rather, they would benefit by having their job made easier. “Although individual location de- partments are highly effective, they need the aid of an overall library and statistical center that can pro- vide complete and UD-to-the-minute information concerning any loca- tion,” he said. “In the recent case where four companies made pictures in Egypt, the facts and figures derived by any one of the production organi- zations could have helped the others, if they were given to the central pool,” Mann opined. “True, there must have been an exchange of information, to a ccr- (Continued on page 20) Reissues, Plus Toll-TV, Kill Chances of Film TV Sales—Schneider Subscription television has be- come a factor militating against the licensing of major company films to conventional tv at the pres- ent time. Abe Schneider, Columbia treas- urer-v.p., in N. Y. Friday (17) told the Col annual meeting of stock- holders that the company wouldn’t peddle its catalogue because It has a greater future money potential in, (1) subscription tv, and (2) the- atrical market reissue. Following the meeting, Schnei- der. asked to enlarge upon his comment, said that actually the order should be reversed, that re- issue values are of the greater im- portance. However, he thinks toll tv Is a possibility in the distant future and must be considered as a means of contributing to Col’s welfare. He said this does not mean that Col is indorsing the principle of home boxolTice video and conceded its introduction would be harmful to exhibitors who are, of course, Col’s source of revenue. This will be given major consideration before Col makes a move in any direction, he concluded. JUSTICE DEPT. OKAYS 72D ST. FOR LOEW’S As a result of an agreement with the Dept, of Justice, Loew’s Thea- t*es is no longer forced to divest Loew s 72d St., N. Y. The theatre company has been •lying to lease or sell the house lor some time but, according to Prexy Joseph Vogel, “the offers jvere ridiculous.” Vogel said the »,;,o f / / ealized the situation and agreed to permit Loew’s to keep this house if it divested itself of two lesser situations. th. 1C ! er *. the T . deal reac hed with divpH a Stl r Dept * the company diNerted Loew’s 86th St., Man- hatUn. and Loew’s Victory, Bronx. lister! sduat ‘ ons not previously liMed for divestiture. The 72d -i’i? a c,ass situation in the de- niable east side section of the city Shirley Temple Still B.O. Richmond, Dec. 21. Nostalgia is a good way to pack ’em in for charity, the girls discovered here. They filled the Capitol Theatre for a morning show- ing of the Shirley Temple flicker, “Rebecca - of Sunny- brook Farm,” to raise funds for the Randolph-Macon Wom- en’s College endowment fund. Ohio s Advice: Don't Label Any Film British’ Columbus, O., Dec. 21, The Independent Theatre Own- ers of Ohio charges that Warner Bros, is killing its chances of do- ing business with “Duel in the Jun- gle” by emphasizing the picture’s British origin. The trailer, accord- ing to ITOO, says “Associated Brittish presents.” To many people in Ohio, accord- ing to the exhib’s org’s bulletin, “the word British is like waving a red flag- They see that and think they are goin£ to see a picture that is typically British with Oxonian accents and all.” The trailer also notes at the end “Distributed by Associated British Productions,” leading the ITOO to comment that “it would seem that Warner Bros, doesn’t even want to take the credit for distributing the picture.” Sam Katzman’s Roster Hollywood, Dec. 21. Sam Katzman reveals the first six films in his production program for Columbia in 1955, with the other nine to be disclosed by January. Films ready to go are “Jail Bait,” starting in January; “Ten Nights in a Harem.” February: “The Hous- ton Story,” March; “The Attack of the Flying Saucers,” April; “In- side Detroit,” May, and “Blackjack Ketchum,” June.. By FRED HIFT American film companies, groan- ing under heavy tax loads both in the U. S. and abroad, might lend an ear to Julian Weiner, a New York C.P.A. and attorney, who’s figured out a legal way under which producers might beat the tax rap. Weiner, who works for the firm of Anchin, Block Sc Anchin, says producers so far have neglected to investigate the possibilities of Liberia, to his knowledge the world’s only democracy where na- tive corporations aren’t required to pay taxes on income derived from outside the country. It’s a tax philosophy which, if properly ex- ploited, could save millions for Hollywood, according to Weiner. To start with, says Weiner who has investigated this subject thgr- oughly while doing work for a shipping-firm client, Liberia is a fine and convenient place to in- corporate. It’s a country run very much along the lines of the U. S.; its official currency is the dollar and the official language is Eng- lish. What’s more, it’s anxious to encourage incorporation. Big Saving? According to Weiner, American producers, by organizing a Liberian setup, could save themselves a lot of tax dollars. It works the fol- lowing way: The Liberian corpora- tion produces a picture somewhere in Europe. When completed, it is sold outright to a U. S. company, the negotiations for such a sale taking place outside the United States. If these conditions are fulfilled, the net result then is that a Liberian corporation has sold a property to an American corpora- tion outside the U. S. This means that the Liberian company doesn’t owe any income taxes to Liberia, nor does it owe a penny to the U. S. Revenue Bureau, as Weiner figures. If production and distribution are handled by two different com- panies, says Weiner, “it’* impor- tant that the distribution organiza- tion be a non-Liberian organiza- tion. The distributing company, which would probably handle nego- tiations with U. S. and other pur- chasers, could then buy the film from tne Liberian corporation, tak- ing title outside the U. S.” If this procedure is followed, the Liberian corporation’s profits aren’t tax- (Continued on page 18) Lutheran Church, Pleased With Success of Founder’s Biopic, May Produce Life of fiach Calendar Frees Man Lawton, Okla., Dec. 21. Marilyn Monroe’s famed birthday-suit calendar picture helped free a photographer here from charges of procur- ing a model for a lewd photo- graph. Defense Attorney Ralph Cline showed the picture to . each member of the all-male jury and asked if it excited them. All said no. It took the jury only 14 min- utes * to free defendant Leo Schottenfield, whose picture apparently was equally unex- citing. Nix Drive-In As ^ % Waste of Scarce Factory Acres Philadelphia, Dec. 21. A. M. Ellis Theatres’ proposed 1.500-car drive-in on the Roosevelt Blvd. in Northeast Philadelphia has been nixed by the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustments. Ozoner was to go on a 20-acre site in a district i zoned to limited industrial and C residential. It was to have cost $500,000, in- cluding purchase of the land. Both | the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia and the city’s Commerce Department opposed the plan oiwihe grounds that it would "waste some of the city’s already meager supply of industrial land.” Encouraged by the success of iti “Martin Luther” film, Lutheran Church Productions is currently scouting topics for a followup pro- duction. Odds are heavily in favor of a pic on the life of John Se- bastian Bach. According to Robert E. A. Lee exec secretary of the outfit, a treatment on the Bach story ii currently in the works. If the film is decided on, it would very likely again be made in Germany, where Bach lived and worked. “We’ve done a good deal of re- search on Bach, and we find that, quite apart from the music, his own personal life was very dra- matic. What we would be trying to- do would be to relate his personal story with his great contribution to the world of music.” He said that Lutheran Church Productions had no commitment with Louis de Roehemont, or anyone else, to un- dertake production of its next film. De Roehemont was responsible for the making of “Luther.” One of the other projects under consideration at the moment is a film on the life of the Rev. Dietrich Bonhoffer, an anti-Hitler German pastor who went underground dur- ing the Nazi period, helped plot the assassination attempt against Hitler and subsequently was ar- rested and executed. As for “Luther,” Lee said the film, which cost $500,000 to make, has returned $750,000 so far from domestic distribution, where it’s played some 3,000 da'es. It’s ex- (Continued on page 10) Ann Blyth in ‘Kismet’ Hollyw’ood, Dec. 21. Metro has assigned Ann Blyth to portray the role of Marsinah in the film version of “Kismet,” co- starring with Howard Keel and Dolores Gray. Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, who wrote the*N. Y. stage show, are collaborating on the screenplay, which will be produced by Arthur Freed and directed by Vincente Minnelli. OUT SOON! The 49th Anniversary Number Of Forms closing shortly Usual Advertising rates prevail Special exploitation advantages Copy and space reservations may be sent to any Variety office NEW YORK 34 154 W. 46th St. HOLLYWOOD 2t 4311 Yucca St. CHICAGO 11 . 412 N. Michigan Ava. LONDON. W. C. 2 • St. Martin's Place Trafalgar Square Rapper Lectures N. Y. Film Critics for Unfair Partiality to Imports Director Irving Rapper called i meeting with the trade press in N. Y. Thursday (16) to sound ofl against the film critics on Goth- am’s lay dailies. The latter are guilty, he insisted, of favoring im- ported pic product over the U.S. output. This is unfair, said Rapper, be- cause pictures from overseas have the advantage of being free from censorship. Instead of rapping Hollywood’s films, the press corps ought to fight the censorial restric- tions imposed upon them. Rapper declined to say whether he bad specific reference to the Produc- tion Code or any particular pres- sure group. (Ed. note: N. Y. critics over the years have denied foreign film fa- voritism and some such as the Times’ Bosley Crowther and the Herald-Tribune’s Otis Guernsey have been outspokenly anti censor, ship). Rapper left over the past week- end for London and Rome for ad- vance work on “The Boy and the Bull.” It’s to be lensed in Spain as a King Bros, production for RKO release. PERSPECTA URGED UPON OVERSEAS PRODUCERS In making arrangements for the installation of Perspecta sound re- cording equipment in four studios abroad, Metro is making a strong bid to European producers to make use of the process. Installations al- ready have been effected in stu- dios used by Metro in Paris and Rome, and similar equipment soon will be installed In studios in Ber- lin and Bareclona. Additionally, company is nego- tiating to equip the RCA-Interna- tional Studios in London, and an arrangement has been signed licensing the Paris studio of the Compagnie Generale D’Energie Radio Electrique to handle Pcr- speca recordings. Praesens Films of Switzerland is the first European production company to use Per- specta, on “Heidi and Peter,” now being recorded in Paris by Metro.