Variety (January 12, 1955)

10 Wednesday, January 12, 1955 PICTURES Big Circuits, Shotgun-Divorced, Hope for Drive-In Expansion Washington, Jan. 11. The five major theatre circuits in the picture business have eyes for expansion, all of them apparently flirting with the idea of taking on drive-in operations. Ironically, the five chains have been legally re- strained from adding new theatre properties since antitrust decrees were entered in 1947. And this was the year when the roadside houses first became noticed as po- tentially big revenue producers on the national scale—and the major circuits, for the most part, were barred from the field. It’s no se- cret, of course, that the al fresco situations have grown to important stature in film economics. The ‘’big five” are now winding up their programs of dropping large numbers of theatres to con- form with the court decrees. Upon completion of these divestitures the theatre companies will seek ap- proval from the Department of Justice for acquisition of new out- lets, including ozoners. Approval being sought is in the form of'modification of the exist- Yugo-Russo Film Swap Washington, Jan. 1L Russia and Yugoslavia are about to sign an agreement for the purchase of blocks of each other’s motion pictures, ac- cording to word reaching here. The two countries have been dickering since Nov. 1 and have, reached agreements on basic issues. Italy Goofs Tint Print Test; May Protect Its Labs Italy is moving to make it man- datory for American film com- panies to do all of their color film processing—excepting Technicolor —in Italian labs. Distribs in N. Y. , . . . . . ... . . have been told that Italo authori- ng decrees which bar such branch- i ties are mulling cancellation of im- ing out. Of the five, only the RKO circuit is privileged to buy up new’ houses but on condition there’s an okay from the Federal Court in N. Y. which heard the industry antitrust suit some years ago. The others require the D. of J. green- lighting. United Paramount is the only national chain now in the drive-in field, having picked up some out- door spots, mainly in the south, via reshuffling of ownerships with pre- vious partners. All five chains’ divestiture opera- tions are due for winding up within the next few months. It’s at this point that they’ll expectedly seek to expand. WRITERS' EXECS IGNORE RED TAKEOVER CRACK Hollywood, Jan. 11. An anti-Communist constitution- al amendment will be revived at the next membership meeting of Writers Guild of America by Paul Gangelin. for years identified in a strong anti-Red movement in the Screen Writers Guild. A similar amendment failed adoption recent- ly by three votes short of the re- quired two-thirds. Gangelin l s move was also in rebuttal to WGA mem- ber Borden Chase, who said he will not revive his measure which was beaten, declaring “I’m tired of fighting the Communists in the guild.” and predicting the Reds would “take over” WGA in a year. Gangelin termed Chase’s declara- tion one “without foundation.” No officer of WGA chose to answer Chase when contacted by Variety. port licenses on all non-Techni tint prints retroactive to Jan. 1, 1955. There’s been no official word on this yet. Color test reel printed in an Italian lab had convinced tjie U.S. companies earlier that, from a quality point-of-view at least, they couldn’t accede to an Italian re- quest that they do a share of their tlat work in Italy. The color reel had been sent to Italy by Warner Bros, and the sample print was returned to N.Y. last w«<ek. There are indications that the Italians themselves weren’t happy with the outcome. However, the Motion Picture Ex- port Assn, has officially notified Eitel Monaco-, head of ANICA, the Italo film biz org, that it wasn’t pleased vyith the results of the test. When Monaco and an Italian delegation were in the U.S. last year for general talks with MPEA prexy Eric Johnston, they brought up the question of local color printing and their desire to have the American distribs do more of their work in the Rome labs. Ex- planation was that these labs had been doing a good deal of black- and-white printing in the past and that, with Hollywood’s switch to color, they were now facing the loss of that business, with resultant unemployment. MPEA at that time agreed to print in Italy, provided price and quality were comparable with U.S. standards. One of the reasons given for the failure of the test was that the Italians attempted to print off an Eastman color negative onto Fer- rania color, which is the tint process most widely in use in Italy. This is said to involve con- siderable problems since the two systems aren’t absolutely compat- ible. A large percentage of the Honilloc Icrooli Pir 1 u s - Cinemascope pix are lensed llallUlC* lol aCll lit on Eastman color negative and An American company to repre- printed on Eastman positive. Some sent the Israel film industry in the are Printed by Technicolor in its Barry Hyams (Legiter) western hemisphere has been or- ganized by legit pressagent Barry Hyams and bearing his name. Has already concluded a deal with Zvi Kolitz of Si-kor Films for the U. S. distribution of “Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer,” an Israel-made feature in English. It was adapted for the screen by the author and Peter Frye and di- rected by England’s Thorold Dick- inson. Exteriors were filmed in the Negev desert, Haifa, and Acre, and interiors were shot at the Is- rael Motion Picture Studios in Herzliah where the film was also processed. Hyams also concluded arrange- ments with Yehoshua Brandstatter, head of IMPS, to represent the studio in the distribution of a number of subjects of own imbibition process. Execs in N. Y. say that, if the quality of the Italian lab work were acceptable, they’d be delighted to print in Italy since this would involve duty and other savings. Federals Place Schines’ Switchboard as Source Of Elmart Instructions Buffalo, Jan. 11. Further linking of alleged Schine subsidiary coroprations to Schine Chain Theatres, Inc., marked the proceedings in the contempt of court action by the United States Government against Schine inter- ests in Federal Court here this week. Telephone service to El- mart Theatres Inc. at Gloversville was provided through the switch- board of the main Schine corpora- tion «Schine Chain Theatres Inc.) and charged to Schine, according to the evidence.. This was in sup- port of the government’s claim that Elmert, of which Common Council President Elmer F. Lux is presi- dent, and who is a defendant in the present action, is being operat- ed under the Schine corporation's control in contravention and con- tempt of a court order. Telephone company officials de- nied on- cross examination by Schine counsel that the FBI had sought phone company permission lor wire-tapping in connection with its investigation of the Schine cor- porations. A question from Judge Knight as to who was charged with the Elmart telephone service brought the reply from a tele- phone official “Schine Chain The- atres Inc.,” and it was further de- veloped that the Schine switch- board connection for Elmart was discontinued a few days after the FBI investigation was started. Managers of Elmart Theatres all maintained reserve accounts in Gloversville (home of the Schine parent corporation) from which checks were drawn for expenses of their theatres. Florence Olsen, secretary-treasurer of Elmart, said that instructions as to payment did not come from Lux as she had seen him only once. Other proof was also presented that Darnell Theatres Inc., prede- cessor of Elmart in the holdings of the theatres of the latter company, while supposedly independent of Schine, was actually linked with and under Schine control. De- tailed financial transactions among the various corporations in sup- port of the government’s allega- tions were testified to at length by finance officers of the various cor- porations. NIGHT USE OF METERS Downtown Minneapolis Theatres Deplore Civic Proposal Minneapolis. Jan. 11. Another headache looms for downtown firstrun theatres. The city council is studying a proposal to operate the loop park- ing meters at night. At present there’s free parking along the curbs downtown after 6 p.m. ALBERT HANSON BURNS AT SENATOR SCHOEPPEL Hollywood, Jan. 11. Incensed at the recent blast against him by Sen. Andrew F. Schoeppel, chairman of the Subcommittee on Monopoly of the Senate Select Committee on Small Business, Al- bert Hanson, L.A. area theatreman, charged Schoeppel with conduct “unbecoming a public official” in a blistering letter addressed to the solon early this week. Schoeppel asserted in the press that Hanson, chairman of the South- ern California Theatre Owners Assn.’s trade relations committee, had used “half-truths,” “actual mis- statements of fact” and “complete falsehood” in offering to the sub- committee the case of the small ex- hibitor. Particularly incensing Hanson was the fact he has never received a copy of the Schoeppel letter, re- portedly running to more than 3,000 words, in which the sena- tor denied there was any proof of monopoly in the film industry. Han- son makes it plain that his reply to the “mystery” letter, which had jt>een extensively quoted in the press, has been mailed to the sena- tor. Hanson’s reply noted'that the senator “must appreciate the dif- ficulty one would have in answer- ing a letter that has never been received.” numoer oi suDjccts of various I L .°?P ma wagers point out lengths. Deal also involves the pro J hat if a mc ™ or dime is charged duction in Israel of 26 half-hour {o L CU J h P arkl "« al nl * ht the effect film stories of the Old Testament ?’ in b * !? ra , lse sl T goi u g C0RtS for general and educational distri- for add hional people who now bution. i mana *e to avoid the parking ramps and lots with their charges of 25c to 50c and more. Herb Golden, Bankers Trust Co. i It would hurt downtown theatre assistant v.p, leaves N. Y. today patronage already handicapped by • Wed.i for the Coast. Will visit high admissions plus 20c streetcar Edward Small and other BT pro- fares and auto parking problems ducer clients. • J and costs, they believe. Title* for Corkery, Maas Robert Corkery and Irving Maas were elected vicepresidents of the Motion Picture Export Assn, at a meeting of the MPEA board in N. Y. yesterday tTues.). Move came at the suggestion of MPEA prexy .Eric Johnston. Corkery is the MPEA homeof- fice exec in charge of Latin America. He’s currently on his way to the film festival in Monte- video, Uruguay. Maas, who headed up the MPEA when it was an ac- tive distribution unit in the Iron Curtain countries and the occupied areas, is now MPEA exec in charge* 1 of the Far East. j 2d Cinerama Using Revised Gear Hazard Reeve* Disclose* Technical Changes and Remaining Problems of Medium Behaviour Overseas Warner Bros, international department has devised a new manual which, in essence, is a •local foreign manager’s guide book on “how to live and con- duct an American film com- pany’s business abroad.” It- covers every phase of branch operation in a foreign country, including corporate structure, premises, legal prob- lems, handling of cash, prints, personnel, advertising and publicity. It’s a loose leaf book so that new directives from the N. Y. office can be added. War Chest Next Step in Fight Against Toll With the exhibitors’ Joint Com- mittee on Toll-tv now officially on record before the Federal Com- munications Commission as oppos- ing Zenith's “Joint Substitute Pe- tition Concerning Subscription Television.” the theatres are now’ faced with the twin problem of public relations and finance. Both subjects are to be aired at a meet of the Joint Committee in N.Y. Jan. 19 and 20, at W’hieh time the mattef of general strategy in future proceedings also will be taken up. A prominent exhibition leader vitally concerned with toll-tv ad- mitted last week that the mere filing of a protest with the FCC was far from sufficient. “Our big- gest job is to convince the FCC that we aren’t acting strictly to serve our own ends,” he said. "We w’ill have to try and eliminate the stigma of speaking out in pure selfishness.” Question of how the exhibs will finance their fight against an as yet non-operating enemy looms large at the moment. Theatre Own- ers of America committee was to have met on the subject last week, but didn’t. It’s understood that there had been some discussion of soliciting COMPO for the neces- sary funds, and that this had been given sympathetic consideration by COMPO officials. Plans fell through, however, when the law- yers got into the act. Sidelight, too. is that Paramount is a COMPO member. With Par sponsoring Telemeter, COMPO’s financial support would in fact have Par backing a fight against itself. No accurate estimate is available from exhib spokesmen of just how much coin would be re- quired to carry on the anti-toll-tv fight. Meanwhile, Skiatron Electronics & TV Corp. prexy Arthur Levey disclosed that Skiatron engineers had inaugurated uhf tests over WGTH-TV in the Hartford, Conn., area. Some 235.000 uhf converters are installed in Hartford and vicin- ity. The Skiatron petition before the FCC. filed by Skiatron-TV • Matthew Fox>, proposes authoriza- tion of a pay-as-you-see system limited for the first three years to uhf stations only. This is oppos- ed by the Zenith petition. WAITER WANGER'S LINE-UP Roll Three for Allied—Jamaica Project Pends Walter Wanger launches a three- picture program for Allied Artists with start of “Body Snatchers” in February. He follows this with "Yellow Knife” and “Mother, Sir,” latter to be lensed in Japan. Producer may also engage later in year in Jamaican production. He’s agreed to join Gordon Knox, now associated with the Princeton «N. J.) Film Center and formerly with him here as an assistant some years ago, in a project calling for several films to be made in the Caribbean. Knox is partnered with Martin Jones and Henry Olmsted, and Jamaican interests, in the Ja- maica Film Centre Ltd. in King- ston. Complete realignment to new standards in both the taking and projection equipment has been ef- fected for Cinerama’s second pro- duction, “Cinerama Holiday,” which opens in a number of thea- tres next month. The employment of improved cameras and projec- tion machines was revealed by Hazard Reeves, prexy of Cinerama Inc., the equipment manufacturing company. Reeves disclosed that the photo- graphic speed of the Cinerama camera had been substantially in- creased and an inaccuracy in the placement of the projection lenses had been improved. The changes, according to Reeves, are such that prints of the current “This Is Cine- rama” cannot be shown on the ad- justed projection equipment. As a result, the old standards will con- tinue to be used in all theatres showing “This Is Cinerama” and adjustments will be made for the exhibition of “Cinerama Holiday.” The new improvements, accord- ing to Reeves, will do a great deal toward cutting down the jumping of the different segments of Cine- rama’s unique three-panel system. However, he admitted that the un- steadiness of the picture will not be completely eliminated. He blamed this on the printing method which he termed “the only weak- ness so far.” The problem in printing, he said, had been in- herited from the old standards of the motion picture industry which had never been “tight.” “We’ve been working with Tech- nicolor on the improvement of the printing in order to eliminate the jumping,” Reeves said. “We haven’t come around to controlling it yet. We’re experimenting at our own Oyster Bay studio, and, it necessary, we’ll do our own printing. We expect before the year’s out virtually to preclude the existing technical problems of color matching and unsteadiness of picture. Once you’ve introduced a new process, the next step is to improve what you’ve got. We’ve made great progress with the ex- ception of laboratory controls.” Clarifies Costs Reeves said that he would like to clear up the misunderstanding relating to the cost of equipping for Cinerama. “My concept of the process,” he said, “is that it’s one used to the best of our knowl- edge in presenting projection and sound without economic compro- mise. I feel strongly that the en- tertainment of tomorrow' should take advantage of the science of projection and sound to put on a better show and create reality for the public. If we compromise on a one lens system, we take away what Cinerama is. We came to the conclusion that the only way we can now achieve the wide an- gle vision of 146 degrees is by us- ing three lenses. And Cinerama's system of seven-track dimensional sound is the closest to perfection. We’re striving to get better photog- raphy, better color resolution, and better sound without compromising on cost.” Returning to a discussion of Cinerama projection. Reeves said “we still feel we can do better. The objective is still a perfect presentation of picture and sound that is virtually equal to a live show. “We know there’s no one-projec- tor system that can come close to Cinerama photography. We have been experimenting, but w e haven’t found the answer yet. The public may accept a compromise, but any- thing short of perfection is wrong.” The engineer-executive said he welcomed the competition of the new Todd-AO process which has been described as similar to that of Cinerama. “It’s up to the public to decide,” said Reeves. “There’s plenty of roonrt for a number of car manufacturers and there should be for several processes in the mo- tion picture industry. I welcome all improvements in the motion picture industry.” He said it was never Cinerama’s objective to com- pete with CinemaScope or Vista Vision which he feels are mass media. Cinerama, he said, w ill not be shown in more than 100 thea- tres throughout the world and “that’s many years off.”