Variety (January 19, 1955)

I.\TER\ATIOXAL 13 *VA»l«TY'r LONDON OPFICB a ft. Martin's FUc*. Tratalfar Muif 13$ Legiters Launched in Paris Last Year; 34 Solid Hits, 62 Flops Paris, Jan. 11. +—- - Mex Films Crowded Out French" and 90* new creations. Of Playdates by H’wood There ' vcre fl ? nff in fro .J 1 10 J J onn Mexico City. Jan. 11. category rcach 8 moderate sue- 'Mexican pix are being more showings. 34 de d the 5Qth crowded for playdates here by cesses b- " e , seven held Hollywood and Europe. During De- performance a y cember of the 39 films played here, through the fu • Hollywood contributed 22, Europe The seven big one s were Jean n i ne> Cuba, one and Mexico seven. Anouilh’s “L’Alouette ( 1 ne Europeans were three each Lark>, An ^ re . 8 frbm Italy and Russia, two from L Enfant Parait (When the Child jr rance an d one from Britain. Appears), which is now in its Mexican producers, while admit- fourth year, Pol Quentins tin g t jj ey are worr i e d, aver they "L’llomme A Parapluie (The aren »f alarmed. They explain this Man With the Umbrella); the mu- se t U p by pointing to long runs at sical. "La Route Flueire (Ihe one s f an( j 0 f suc h Yankee films as Flowered Way) now in its third “ Stu dent Prince” (M-G); "Caine year at the ABC: another musical, Mutiny" (Col), "White Christmas" ‘ A La Jamiaque at the Porte St. (p ar ) f “Magnificent Obsession” (U) Martin; the Robert Dhery revue, an( j “Coins in Fountain” (20th). ‘ Ali. Les Belles Bacchantes at the The i> es t Mexican showing during Daunou. and "Une Vraie Folie at December was "Watch Out For the Folies-Bergere. Love," starring Pedro Infante, Others now appearing likely to which played two top firstruns si- enter the hit category this year Are multaneously for three weeks. another Roussin and Anouilh piece. "La Femme, Le Mari Et La Mort” (The Wife, Husband and I • 1 I •« Death) at the Ambassaduers and I .IVPIV I .POll “Cecile” at the Comedie Des Champs-Elysees. Jacques Deval’s “La Maniere Forte" (The Hard I C 1 T Way), at the Athenee; Marc Gil- 111 I A Aft] C bert Sauvajon’s adaptation of “1 Ul/Ul. LUU1IIO Somerset Maugham's "Theatre" as “Adorable Julia," at the Gymnase; Edinburgh, Jan. 18. the boulevard farce. "On S’Dit Upcoming legit season in Scot pitrl V • Lid rcilUlic, AiC man Ub ua Mort” (The Wife, Husband and I • 1 I •« Death) at the Ambassaduers and I lyPIV I .POll “Cecile" at the Comedie Des U *" Champs-Elysees. Jacques Deval’s “La Maniere Forte" (The Hard I C 1 T Way), at the Athenee; Marc Gil- 111 APAf I AAVYIC bert Sauvajon’s adaptation of Ul/Ul. LUU1IIO Somerset Maugham's "Theatre" as “Adorable Julia,” at the Gymnase; Edinburgh, Jan. 18. the boulevard farce. "On S’Dit Upcoming legit season in Scot Tout” (We Tell All), by Paul theatres looms as one of the live- Stalle. at the Palais Royal; Graham ... . _ ... , . , Greene’s “Living Room." at the St. * iest in years ’ Wlth several world Georges; J. P. Conty’s ". . .Af- preems and other interestiag open- faire Vous Concernant," a detec- ings. Lyceum Theatre, closed this tive drama, at the Theatre De W eek for alterations, will open Pai is ’ , Monday (24) with John van Dru- Am ° n / - ten's adaptation of Christopher vl" ?niMotil sifirti Isherwood's -I Am A Camera" Vole (Billowing Skirt), at the ]yf 0 i ra Shearer will head the cast Varietes; “Pama. Pnilla” and "La J?* Toison DOr" (Golden Fleece) at chore™ to"fow"ne her American the municipally-backed Gaite Ly- “," es . 1 . A 5' r ' c ,f" riaup and Chafplet Henri Varna’s ^ our ln the Edinburgh Festival 'Sensations De Pari?’ at hfs Ca’ P roduct,on °» “ A Midsummer sensations ue r*aris ai nis L.a- Tyjjoht’s Dream ” fast inrlndes sino De Paris plus his "Les win™ Amants De Venise” at the Moga-j Xi-hi rS J ’ dor. and "Mon P’tit Pote" (My Max Denn and John Gdle ’ L’il Pal) at the European. “The Moon and the Chimney.” Among the latecomers, a prob- nVeem^ able rating may go to Henri De inhnrp u T P qi h Montherlant’s "Port-Royal" at the L" b J p!ljJ. 1 ’ £?, *!! p d p 1 Comedie-Francaise; Andre Mai- y H 1 0 °" ^ e f raux’s novel "La Condition Hu- ?£ d P a ^ d n Kr ilf bt ; F „L y in 1 maine." adapted for the stage by th 5 A L ffiJS n f Jrflv^npw fhI ' Thierry Maulnier, and Marcel ^ d .°J [° y k ”7 J? d ^ a ^ A vine’s version of Arthur Miller’s nnpn , ? y Tl * t n ro *Fph ^ “Crucible.” called "The Witches op ^ ns a * L y ceum Theatre l eb. 7 of Salem." Looking in for medium y, nder ,^ e j 5 Sau “jon's rU ad a p a tatlon Ma of' Gi me r f ““ *" d Includes 6 Jean Kent and Sr-'SC of Fou 6 Wilfred Hyde Whyte. .Sherek Is Colonels- and the revival of also backing Chimney. Georges Feydeau’s "La Main Another world preem set for the Passe" (The Roving Hand). Lyceum here is "The Lovers," The past year was rated a very P la y based on Emile Zola’s novel fine one as a whole. During the “Therese Raquin." Eva Bartok, year. 55 different legit theatres Hungarian film actress, will be cast broke records of all time high for as Therese opposite American ac- a single day’s biz.. The Ministry of tor Sam Wanamaker. Zola’s novel Beaux Arts helped maintain the was dramatized by Marcelle Mau- French heavy-powered theatrical rett e a few years ago and had con- tradition by donating coin to over siderable success In Paris. New 30 plays. English version is by Juliet Man- sell and Robin King. It opens Further Unfreezing Of " e New eb m“w comedy -Tam V_ I n • • 1 • O’Shanter’s Tryst," based on the IallK LOIR III AUSSIC poem by Robert Burns, preemed D 1 J II* LI it i*i 1 last ni 8bt (Monday) Glasgow Cit- Kated Highly Unlikely izens ’ Theatre. Author is Alex- _ , J J ander Scott, upcoming playwright, . TT Sydney, Jan ; v* . who lectures on Scot literature at Sydney, Jan. 11. p-t- tt of W. , . . . wnu lectures on ocoi ineraiure ai hon^s in th-Ji industry s | Glasgow University. Songs are set held ° Ut K f Ki >Ze K d ? 1 ! ars to wellknown Scot tunes. llua here will probably be deter- Joined at a conference of prime XT x r\ i. x xr r\ ministers in London, Jan. 31. De- Wat Cohen to N.Y. On spite the efforts of MPEA prexy fro p* rk: c f r ;L Floal Eric A. Johnston in this direction x IX UlStTlD UGHI during his recent trip here, there London, Jan. 18. file factors suggesting the govern- Nat Cohen, managing director of -(•r.t s grip on the film company Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distrib- a, ’s won't be loosened further, utors, planes to N. Y. next Satur- A quarterly financial survey day (22) to finalize distribution f ‘b 0 nation’s overseas cur- deals for American product in the t ny resourecs as possibly down United Kingdom and to discuss )und $337,000,000 during the past future British production sched- nn.tnual year unless present trends ules. * A us \vl 1 bf C th Se< #‘ *. After a week in Manhattan, through last rvt d Cohen planes to the Coast for a deficit of mor?than^SoVooO ^ i W ° ' VeekS> Stay ' during Which time tnan »J4,uou ,ooo t aims negotiate new co-pro- 5rnT nor ucatT duction deals with an American v-ui bbc HEAD company. He also hopes to close a Tnm T Glasgow, Jan. 11. deal for British distribution rights f or Johnston, 72 - year - old for the next six pictures of a Hol- J 11 . Lablnet Minister, is named lywood production company. On the n"**- u Vernor ^ or . Scotland of the return journey, the Anglo- 1 hish Broadcasting Corp. Amalgamated topper will break e takes over from the late Lord his journey in N. Y. for an addi- Lij desmuir, ..... , t r; .Uoual week’s stay. . . •; Thomas New Veepee Of Brit. Pix Specialists London, Jan. 11. Howard Thomas, producer-in- chief of Associated British-Pathe, has been named veepee of the Assn, of Specialized Film Pro- ducers, succeeding Donald F. Car- j ter, who left London last week to take up an appointment in Canada. Frank A. Hoare of Merton Park Studios was re-elected prez for the eighth consecutive term. The ASFP, which is one of the four major trade associations in the British industry, includes in its membership reps from 35 and 16m studios, cartoon and film strip makers, educational film distribs and equipment companies. No ‘Sleep’ for Paris As Audience Raises Roof; ‘Berenice’ Fares Better Paris, Jan. 18. Opening night at the Marigny Theatre last Thursday (13), stronghold of the Jean-Louis Bar- rault-Madeleine Renaud Repertory Co. was the scene of raucous dis- plays by the usually staid opening night audience. Whistling, disa- greements and some scuffling were the reactions of the highbrow assemblage to the first Christopher Fry play to be put before French theatregoers. This was Morvan Lebesque’s adaption of "A Sleep of Prisoners." First part of the program was devoted to a reprise of the Racine tragedy "Berenice,” with tragedienne Marie Bell, who recently quit the Comedie-Fran- caise. "Berenice" was greeted by sal- vos of applause and lauded during the intermission. But when "Sleep” came on as a long one- acter for the second part, the trouble started. As the dreams and symbolical manifestations of the troubled prisoners started, whistles began to break out, with coughing and dissension following. Sir Gladwyn Jebb, the British Am- bassador, left when the racket be- came too loud. Many tried to quiet the noisy ones and there was some talk of a possible plant. However, it was a comfort to Barrault who, though angry, felt that this was a living response to theatre and. whether good or bad, it was a good sign. Decorator Felix Labisse tried to get dissenters to give their viewpoints, but all was lost in the rumpus. Crix were divided the next day on attributes of "Berenice” but most agreed that the Fry opus was unintelligible. However, the pub- licity looks to give this a big boost and might make this another hit addition to the high calibred Bar- rault rep this season. SUMMER FORCES ARC. LEGITERS TO BEACHES Buenos Aires, Jan. 11. Each week sees more theatres here shuttering for the summer, most shows going on strawhat tours or to heath resorts, which are very renumerative. Even girl shows have been fold- ing in an unprecedented manner. Most legit companies are booked for the Mar del Plata beach resort, where they will continue in the same vehicles which were sock hits here in 1954. As Mar del Plata fills up with tourists from all over the country, legit companies do well there even in plays which had long runs in Buenos Aires through- out the previous winter. A production at the Buenos Aires by Spanish producer-actress Ana Mariscal will be an oasis in the en- tertainment desert starting Jan. 18. She has joined with her compatriot Andres Mejuto to produce Ugo Betti’s "Isle of Goats." Official Films Wins Control of Nettlefold London, Jan. 11. Hannah Weinstein, European representative of Official Films, is a member of a syndicate which has acquired control of the Nettlefold Studios, Walton-on-Thames. A holding company is in process of formation and the directors will include Phil and Sid Hyams, J. Emmet Dalton, J. G. Saunders and Hyman Stone. The studios will remain available for feature production although a smaller stage may be used from time to time for >elepjx. series. t . Church, Peron Split Likely to Bring Numerous Arg. Show Biz Changes London Likely to Lose Two West End Theatres London, Jan. 18. London is likely to lose two of its West End theatres. Negotiations are in progress for the takeover of the Stoll and St. James’ by a finance group which intends, if the deals materialize, to pull them down and build new office blocks. Charles Clore, prominent City financier, is reportedly behind the group negotiating for both houses. The London County Council has already given approval in principle to the erection of office blocks on the two sites. The St. James’ Theatre, which was built in 1835, is currently hous- ing the Terence Rattigan play, "Separate Tables." The Stoll, which opened in 1911, is featuring a Christmas attraction, "Noddy in Toyland." No Quota Change Seen in Britain London, Jan. 11. Ordered by Act of Parliament to announce the new British film quotas six months before they come into operation, the Board of Trade is now collating information on the number of British films likely to be available for the quota year commencing next Oct. 1. An announcement will be made in the House of Commons by the Board of Trade prexy before March 31. An official survey completed by the British Film producers Assn, estimates that there will be ap- proximately 110 first features, in the 1955-56 quota year as against an estimate of 120 for the current quota year. On the current esti- mate of 120, the BFPA last year intimated that not more than about 78 would actually become available as first features and the present forecast will be whittled down in the same way. Although they are forecasting a slight dip in the volume of British production, neither the BFPA nor other responsible sections of the industry anticipate that the pres- ent first feature quota of 30% will be affected. The supporting pro- gram quota, which has been static at 25% since the Act was intro- duced in 1948, also is likely to re- main unchanged. The first feature quota in 1948 was fixed at 45% but mass defaults led to its reduction, first to 40% and later to 30%. It has remained steady at the last figure for some years. ‘STAR,’ BRANDO SOCKO AT BERLIN 1ST-RUNS Berlin, Jan. 11. The first half of January sees American pix doing strong biz at first-runs here. "A Star Is Born" (WB), now in its fourth week at Filmbuehne Wien, is a big draw and the best CinemaScoper ever shown here. "On Waterfront” (Col), Marlon Brando starrer, was preemed last w r eek at the Delphi and drew raves in the local press. Der Abend, local Boulevard paper, wrote "this film deserves the fat- test superlatives a critic can give." Paper urged Berliners not to miss it. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (20th), also of the new crop, re- ceived moderate reviews, as did Metro’s "Long, Long Trailer." "Gone With Wind” (M-G) is now in its 57th week at the Kurbel, and probably will still run there for quite a while. Of the new German releases, lo- cal scribes liked “Canaris” best. This centers around wartime ac- tivities of German Admiral Canaris who secretly worked against Hitler. "Golden Plague,” a film about the relationship between Germans and U.S. soldiers, turned out to be dis- appointing. . . : Montevideo, Uruguay, Jan. 11. A split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Peron regime, mainly over the bill legal- izing divorce, is likely to bring far-reaching changes for show business in Argentina. The split with the Church has, already had its effect on show biz, since motion pictures with any Roman Catholic connection have been banned. The first was "La Quintrala” (Del Carril), a native production, in one sequence of which a priest of the Spanish vice- regal era discourses on the ephe- meral nature of masculine ambi- tions and the eternal nature of the Church of Rome. At a press pre- view of the picture, the newspaper crix loudly cheered this sequence, so the picture was banned. Other pictures which had to be shelved at the same time were "I Confess" (WB) and "Our Lady of Fatima," also from Warner. Throughout the week before Christmas, appropriate music is broadcast in some of the more important Buenos Aires avenues via municipally-installed speakers. This year the effect was far from Christmasv, as an unofficial ban was placed against ivligious music, and it’s difficult to work up a Yuletide spirit to tango rhythm. The Church had objected to and had influenced a ban against some lyrics and also against some of the songs popularized by Italian warbler Nicola Paone. It is antic- ipated that the ban will now be lifted. Customarily, film censorship in Argentina was exercised by a municipal board with strong cleri- cal guidance. As the latter is now eliminated, bluepencilling is likely to take a different turn, Nitery | owners anticipate that regulations for them will also be relaxed. They hope they may be allowed to dim their lights again and some caba- rets will be allowed curtained loges once more, especially since an endyear decree reopened li- censed redlight houses which had been shuttered at the Church’s re- quest six years ago. There are quite a number of di- vorces among Argentine showfolk, but in general these are as deeply religious as other people. There are said to be 200,000 divorce ap- plications ready to go before the courts now that the breakup of marriage is legal, but surprisingly only a very few are showbiz people. High Taxes and Ceiling On Mex Cinema Ducats Force House Closures Mexico City, Jan. 11. An alarming number of cinema closures in many of the provinces because of tax hikes by state gov- ernments and some municipal tax tilts, aggravated by the steadfast refusal by officialdom to allow ad- mittance price increases is threat- ened and causing national concern. Numerous telegraphic appeals for help are pouring in upon the Na- tional Exhibitors Assn, and the Na- tional Cinematographic Industry Chamber. Both groups have asked the Ministry of the Interior, top federal government department, to intercede in inducing the provin- cial administrations to permit ad- mission price hikes or at least to halt further tax hikes. Exhibitors in the provinces fre- quently have accepted tax boosts just to be cooperative, as they realize the governments' fiscal problems and mounting expenses, these two groups reveal. But the proverbial last straw has now been reached, they contend. Costs, particularly wages and materials, are so high that any tax boost would bring operation to the profitless point, the exhibitors’ or- ganizations told the ministry. The association and chamber stress that exhibs are the only business- men in all Mexico who haven’t in- creased prices. The organizations indicate that little if any hope can be enter- tained about help in the form of i the official nod to hike admission prices. The government’s attitude apparently is that because pix are ! the top paid public amusement in Mexico, no upping of cinema . prices can be allowed.