Variety (February 1955)

22 PICTURES Wednesday, February 2, 1955 'Momentum’ Best Word to Describe Boxoffice Tempo Sherwood Continued from pace 4 “Momentum” is the new key word in describing the resurgence In the ration's film attendance. By "momentum” theatremen mean the interest in film-going a block- buster attraction can create over an ex ended period. For example, if there’s a lull in picture attend- ance caused by poor product, leth- argy, or television, a sock film will br'ng the crowds out not only for the »artv , ular picture but a’so for lesser product for several weeks to come. If there’s a run of just ordinary films, the attendance will wane a'/mn, and it takes qnothcr "big” picture to start the cycle over again. The i’p and down vacillation in attendance has been a by-prod- uct of trie picture biz’s new era and is <it:d by the advocates of "bigger ard fewer pictures” as an argument in favor of their cause. A run of pictures just for the sake of finin'* the screens, it’s noted, cannot bring out a steady stream of cus omers. Those favoring more pictures discount this argu- ment, saying the theatres need more and better pictures. As explained by theatremen. the aock pictures succeed in tak'ng people awav from television, ex- pose them to trailers for upcom- ing p'clures, cause renewed inter- est in the picture-going habit, and give:? the public a taste of wuat it's like to get out of the home again. Kxamplcs of the "momentum” cycle are cited in recent experi- ences. Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday in November, the nation’s t heal res had a run of top product. Attendance was at a peak. How- ever, the quality of the product fell ofT during the Thanksgiving to Christmas period and attend- ance took a dive. Then such pic- tures as “White Christmas” and "Sabrina” came along to extend the momentum into January. There was a slight fall off until "On the Waterfront” hit the screens. “Waterfront,” incidental- ly. racked up a new Saturday and Sunday record for Loew’s Thea- tres. On the basis of "Waterfront.’’ Loew’s expects the picture-going habit to continue for several weeks. The “momentum” theory has been employed to justify huge ex- penditures for occasional stage shows as. for example, the pre- Xmas outing of Jackie Gleason at the Paramount, N. Y. Although many felt that the Par could not emerge with a profit because of Gleason's astronomical percentage, the move is seen as justified on the ground that it brought many more people into theatre, placed the Paramount in the spotlight, ex- posed the customers to the trailers for upcoming films. The attend- ance for the straight films shows following Gleason’s appearance bears out these arguments. land to cover the retreat of Napoleon’s army in the Russian snows. The final three months will be spent in Italy for interiors. DeLaurentis does not name his writers, saying that it’s the work of five collaborators, including two French and three Italian writers. In addition, a* Hollywood writer will be hired to prepare the Eng- lish version. DeLaurentis will shoot* his film in Vista Vision. Sclznick, meanwhile, has re- mained quietly on the sidelines. He, however, reiterated recently that he is not abandoning his project. There are reports that Sclznick may he associated with Metro for his “War and Peace.” He received a bid from Stanley War- ner to make the picture in Cine- rama, but Sclznick had made no decision on the process as yet. Ben Hecht is writing the screenplay lor the Selznick version. WON'T HEAR APPEAL Top Court Spurns Fanchon & Marco Bldwin Case India's Many 'Barriers’ Washington, Feb. 1. The U. S. Supreme Court has re- fused to hear an appeal by the Baldwin Theatre of Los Angeles in its treble damage antitrust suit against Paramount, I^oew’s, RKO, Universal, United Artists, 20th-Fox, National Theatres and Fox West Coast Theatres. Fanchon & Marco, operating the Baldwin, charged the distributors with illegal conspiracy to withhold first run product from the house because it is not located in the mid- city. It has been getting second runs on a 21-day clearance after the first run. Fanchon A Marco lost before the U. S. District Court in L. A., with the Ninth Circuit Court upholding the trial court. Final effort was made to have the U. S. Supreme Court hear an appeal. Continued from pas* Z Mike Todd: “Let ’Em’’ Hollywood, Feb. I. At a press conference here at ’ the home of Joseph M. Schenek, lot’ the Todd-AO Corp.. Mike Todd said he “wouldn’t be intimidated” . even if other producers were doing ' the picture. Commenting on the fact that both David O. Selznick and Metro had registered the title with Motion Picture Assn, of America, he said that the Todd Co. isn’t bound by the MPAA agreement governing stories in the public domain. He asserted that he was "just as justified as any- body” to work on the property and bring it to the screen. If more than one version is made, Schenek stated, “the better picture will get the money.” Todd added that “the unconscious genius—the public—has a w’onder- lul way of knowing the difference.” Todd is sending a unit man to Yugoslavia in 30 days to make preparatory arrangements for the picture which will be filmed in Eastman color, with interiors prob- ably being shot in London. The use of the Yugo army won’t require any financial outlay, Todd said, since on his last visit to Belgrade two weeks ago the Supreme Coun- cil stressed that it was not to be paid. What Price? THEATRE EXECUTIVE Years of experience all types theatre operation. Creative, orig- inal boxoffice ideas, and promo- tional prixe-winning campaigns. Knows shew values. Now em- ployed. desires change. Address P.O. Box 1196 Grand Central P.O. Annex Lexington Ave. & 45th Street New York, N. Y. West Pa. and IA Agree Pittsburgh. Feb. 1. Concluding negotiations which started last August, the Allied Mo- tion Picture Theatreowners of Western Pennsylvania signed a new two-year contract with the Moving Picture Machine Operators. Local 171, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. The theatreowmer’s labor com- mittee consisted of Harry Hendel, Norman Mervis, Paul Bronder, Morris Finkel, and George Tice. They represented 46 theatres in the Pittsburgh area. Continued from part 7 tional in what may be an uncon- ventional film in some instances had led to something closely akin to misrepresentation via a stress on non-key scenes. This has long been true of the foreign imports with their play on the sex angles, almost regardless of whether they arc there or not. Striking example of the diffi- culties experienced by a film com- pany in selling “arty,” i.e. reason- ably sophisticated, entertainment came recently with 20th’s “Prince of Players,” a film about the late Edwin Booth in which Richard Burton, a British actor little known on this side, plays a good many Shakespearean scenes in dramatic and expert fashion. Apparently convinced that the public considers Shakespeare in a picture b.o. poison, ads for the film barely mentioned the bard. In- stead they stressed the Booth mad- ness “Was he madman or genius? . . . Was he Saint or Sinner? . . . ” Ads were plainly non-committal on pic’s content. This fits in with the 20th policy of selling the Philip Dunne pro- duction as a regular commercial release. With “Prince” getting a light run at the Rivoli, N.Y., 20th has now’ come up with a new set of ads stating plainly — and in fact emphasizing — the legit as- pects of the picture. In Los An- geles, the productions has been booked into the Fine Arts Theatre, a semi-art showcase. There have been several other pix which underplayed their main theme in favor of routine romantic doings in the ads. Good example is a war pic which, in the bulk of its ads, showed its principals in what appear to be civvies rather than uniforms. According to Gordon White, in charge of enforcing the advertis- ing code at the Motion Picture Assn, of America, there has been no increase in recent months of "misrepresentation” in pix ads, i.e. scenes that are in the ads but not in the films themselves. How- r i ever, Arthur Lubin Continued from page 2 in Technicolor, it was screenplayed by Lenore Coffee and Dorothy Reid under a new tag, “Re- bound.” Lubin, who had also made five Abbott A Costello pix plus a whole string of Maria Montez “Arabian Nights” films at Universal, blue- printed his plan for gaining artis- tic independence. As lie explained it "I get the property, hire the writers and get the script written the way it should be.” Sometimes, Lubin conceded, it’s a little difficult to sell his per- sonal "packages.” For instance, he recalled. “Francis” made the rounsd at the studios for three years before anyone would take it. But those stories of a "talk- ing” mule have shown real b. o. stamina for the fifth “Francis” film ("Francis Joins the WACS”) outgrossed the second, third and fourth entry in the series. Sixth “Francis” pic, "Francis Weighs Anchor” which rolls Feb. 15. may be the last for Donald O’Connor. He’s appeared in all of ’em but his U contract is up and whether he’ll continue with “Fran- cis” isn’t known. As far as Lu- bin’s longtime association with “Francis’ is concerned he puts it this way: "I think I’m the only one who can make a mule talk.” "Rebound,” incidentally, is the second of four pictures which Frankovieh’s Film Locations will deliver to Columbia over an un- specified period. Initialer, al- ready in distribution, was “Fire Over Africa.” Third will be “Ghost of Drury Lane,” due to go before the cameras in the fall in Britain w ith Lubin directing, while the fourth is "Matador.” As pre- viously announced, latter will be co-produced, directed and starred in by Jos Ferrer. Allied Artists and Col will jointly distribute. Lubin, who just completed “Re- bound” at the Shepperton studios near London, was impressed with the economic savings to be made in shooting pictures abroad. “It’s tremendously cheap, he said,” for a producer can take advantage of frozen money and lower wage scales.” For that matter, he added, British studio workers get "so damn little pay, it’s shocking.” As an example Lubin compared the $75 weekly an assistant direc- tor receives in Britain compared with the $325 weekly a Hollywood employee, is paid for the same chore. But, he pointed out, living expenses in England are consid- erably less than in the U. S. So actually the financial gap, al- though a great one, isn’t quite as wide as it appears on the surface. .‘Star of India’ Continued from page 3 Stross and Titanus Films, “Star” was made in several versions. Orig- inal dubbing job. it’s understood, was rapped by Wilde who com- plained that it didn’t do right by his wife. Miss Wallace. He then brought suit to restrain release of the picture until revisions were made. With UA’s funds now available, presumably the producers will be free to distribute the film—that is, if the new dubbing meets with Wilde’s approval. A swashbuckler set in medieval times, picture was directed by Arthur Lubin. Among others in the cast are Herbert Lorn and Yvonne Sanson. out a number of picture* in Sin- halese for exploitation exclusively in Ceylon. They have set up a dub- bing plant in Ceylon to dub out- standing Tamil. Telugu and Hindi pictures into Sinhalese. This is bound to increase the revenue for Indian pictures from overseas dur- ing 1956. Due to licensing difficulties. Touring and Mobile Cinemas showed allround decline. Actually the number of such cinemas in op- eration is so small today that 1954 may well be said to have been a bad year for them. Possibly such cinemas are on their way out a quaint relic of India’s past. Apart from making an effort to rr-codify all Cinematograph Rules and make them uniform for all States under one central authori- ty, the only other implementation of the recommendations made by the Film Enquiry Committee has been in respect of institution of Awards for the Best Picture and Documentary of a Gold Medal from the President and the Prime Min- ister. After holding a Children’s Film Festival in Bombay during Novem- ber last, the Women’s Council has decided to build a theatre in Bom- bay exclusively for children. The Central Government has also taken an Initiative in this direction. Last year they invited Miss Mary Fields from Britaiif to advise them on the production of juvenile films. There is widespread feeling that present films tend to undermine discipline and morality among the youth of the country. A petition was also presented to the Prime Minister to ban all unhealthy 10%, while Bombay came next with a drop of nearly 25%. Bengal seems to be the w'orst affected with the drop, well over 30%. Of eoujse, since Bengal was parti- tioned to make way for Pakistan, the market for Bengali pictures has narrowed and the number of pictures by 13,000 housewives of Delhi, followed with a recommen- dation from Calcutta that children should be barred from theatres. These verbal recommendations w'ere followed by a motion in the Parliament for a total ban on all "bad” pictures. Pressure in this direction became very heavy dur- ii.g the last two months of last year and its effect can be sufficiently guaged only during 1955. Ameri- can films will undoubtedly lcel censorship more. The outside impression has been that the censors in India do not love .foreigners or foreign films. This is untrue. They hate Indian producers equally as much! Some- times up to 4,000 feet of film have been ordered cut! The number of cuts ordered in one single film would stagger Hollywood’s imagi- nation. The year under review has been remarkable in quite another direc- tion. It brought Cinemascope to India. Finances, need to rebuild theatres and slump in India’s econ- omy all hamper growth of wide- screen systems; nonetheless the bigger cities have installations and, at year’s end, Paramount’s Vista- Vision joined 20th’s Cinemascope in representation. As to individual releases from the United States, “Roman Holi- day,” Paramount’s release with Italian backgrounds, played 27 precedental weeks in Calcutta. A lesser release. “War of the World,” also caught Ihe fancy of Calcutta and ran nine weeks. Other imports to click with the populace here includes “The Robe,” “Knock on Wood.” “The Million Pound Note,” from Britain, and “Kilmanjaro.” There is conversation at present concerning the spread of “co-pro- duction” into India. Common enough- in Europe where Anglo- American, Anglo - Italian and French-Italian co-producing is well established, India will necessarily regard co-production as an innova- tion. American, Italian, French and Swiss interests are “investigat- ing.” Last year also saw a total col- lapse of all film trade between India and Pakistan. Many attempts were made to bring about an at- mosphere of understanding, but to no result. Since the Pakistan Customs had seized a number of Indian pictures and refused to release them, Indian producers also imposed a total ban on the export of Indian films into Pakis- tan. Pakistan also imposed a sales tax of 20% on all pictures, apart from the normal Entertainment i Tax. Pre-Sell Continued from pace 3 reviews. and certain others, but also had heard via the mysterious v.ord-of-mouth about them, and were looking forward to them.” This “mysterious word-of-mouth” was what impressed Seaton most during their eastern junket. “If a picture has been properly pre-sold, it’s in the air,” he reported. “We found this to be the case eve no- where, in every city w’e visited, and were made even more aware of it when some of the exhibitors started to make amazing guaran- tees for ‘Country Girl.’ "One theatreman in Chicago, to give yoq "an example, with only a 600-seat house, bid $100,000 for the picture. He wanted it for a year. Mind you, he hadn’t even seen it; only what he had heard. In Washington, D.C., another ex- hibitor sent us the key to his the- atre, saying he’d never before bid more than $25,000 but now was offering a guarantee of $60,000. He, too. hadn’t seen it; it was the pi e-selling that had penetrated to him.” Seaton estimated that while he and Perlberg touched only seven cities they reached 30 smaller key cities through telephone inter- views arranged for them while on their tour. He talked with many film critics and one of the most startling discoveries made on the whole trek, according to the di- rector, was the attitude of many of these in regard to their writ- ings. ‘They feel that they’re writing in a vacuum, for a blank wall, and nobody pays any attention to their reviews.” he observed. “They do not think that either audiences or the motion picture Industry are interested, and their criticisms do not wield the influence that the dramatic critics on the same pa- pers do. Some said they might as well just do a short paragraph with who’s in a picture and let it go at that "I think I was able to change their minds, that their stuff is j read in Hollywood and does carry : weight with the public. I pointed out that producers are careful to study their findings, that if weak spots are found producers instant- ly investigate them and honest criticsm tends to raise the stand- ards of the film business.” Producers currently are prep- ping Lucy Herndon Crockett’s “The Magnificent Bastards” lor the next Perlberg-Seaton film, ! which rolls in July for Paramount ' release. Gea’I Teleradio Continued from pace 3 fully so far. General Telcradio may make a deal with a major distrib for the additional distribution. According to Turner, General Tele- j radio just doesn’t have the sales ; force and physical facilities to reach all possibilities. Company is currently dickering with two ma- jors. Stipulation of any deal with a major company would be that saturation engagement policy be followed under Turner’s direction. As envisioned by Turner, the upcoming saturation dates would include (1) the New York area. <2> Philadelphia, Pittsburgh. and Washington, and (3) Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Cleveland, and De- troit. Picture has the added ad- vantage of having the full backing of General Teleradio’s Mutual net- work of 580 stations. Film has been plugged throughout the coun- try on all the Mutual crime shows. _MOIO CUT MUSIC KILl — r Rockefeller Center “THE BRIDGES AT T0K0-RI” in color by TECMMC010R ttorring WILLIAM HOLDEN • 6RACE KELLY FREDRIC MARCH • MICKEY ROONEY A Poromount Picture and SKCTICH4RSTM mSXTinM