Variety (March 1955)

Difference in the ,American and German attitude* vis-a-vi* Hitler, and the Nazis is pointed up iqs.the question of'whether or not the Germans should go through witli(;'rnakinga film on? the July 20, 1944, attempt oh Hitler’s" life. * To the average American, the assassination try, ill-fated as it was, nevertheless represented a heroic attempt to do away with a jnad dictator. ‘ . To the average German,, the issue isn’t quite as clear. Many Germans apparently feel that the military men involved in the “putsch” were actually traitor? violating- thejr oath of allegiance 5 and plotting against ; their own country, : New German Fix Heavies Continued from page 1 be hard for Americans to follow or swallow. Started With ‘08/15’ The cycle, of filmsTthe majority of them firmly anti-war and some quite anti-Nazi in tone, started with “08/15,” described as a farce on German army barracks life. Based un the H. H. Hirst novel, it was an impressive grosser in Ger- many. Since its release, subse- quent features have skipped* the light touch, there being a tendency to concentrate on the struggle be- tween the military and the S.S., the latter being the musclemen for •Hitler and the party. Among the titles forthcoming here are “Der Letzte Akt,” (The Last Chapter), an Austrian produc- tion on the final days of Hitler; “Rittmeister Wronski”; “Kinder, Muetter Und Ein General” (Chil- dren, Mother and a General), which Erich Pommer made and Laslo Benedek directed and which is strongly anti-war. “Verraht an Deutschland” (Trea- son Against Germany) and “Un- ternehmen Edelweiss” (Project Ed- elweiss)' Upcoming, too, is a film on the July 20, 1944, attempt against Hitler’s life. .Travelers returning to the U. S. from Germany, including “ Ameri- cans who worked in films there, see the current German preoccupation with the final chapter of the Hitler period as a healthy symptom but admit that the films are highly colored and, to an extent, represent an apologia for the mass of Ger- mans who played Hitler’s game with .no visible absence ts of enthu- siasm although eschewing the ex- cesses. of the S.S. guard. Ideas and Consequences “Naziism is no .longer a real is- sue in Germany today,” one Amer- ican observer commented. “They now have other problems, so they can afford to Took back at them- selves. In many of their films the message seems to be: There, was nothing wrong with the Nazi ideol- ogy, just the methods that went along with it. It’s difficult* for an American to * take this divorce. of idea from their consequences but it’s quite easy for the Gorman's. 4 ’ There is wide agreement that the one topic the German pro- ducers cannot and will not touch, other than in passing, is the per- secution of the Jews. It’s given space in “The Devil’s General,” for instance, but touched on only lightly. Explanation for this lack of in- terest in Germany’s anti-semitic excesses up to the end of the war is that German audiences won’t stand for it, and the topic is b.o. poison. “A psychiatrist probably could explain it quite easily,” said one industryite just back from Ber- lin. Still Like Uniforms It’s felt, on the other hapd, that the popularity pi war films, even if they don’t sfiow the Germans in a good light, may in part be due to the pleasure the German public takes in seeing the uniforms •and the hustle-bustle of militaristic " wartime Germany recreated and come to the life on the screen. Point made is that these semi- documentary anti-World War II films come at a time when the Bonn government has approved the re-militarization of Germany in the face of pronounced public apathy vs. such a policy. A film like “canaris,” for instance-strongly anti-war—is cleaning up. In most of the German'war films, the regular “Wehrmacht” officers are portrayed as hard-headed tra- ditionalists, fighting the black-uni- formed S.S. elite guard for control. This struggle is graphically out- lined in “Canaris,” which tells the story of Germany's counter-intelli- gence chief who eventually was executed in one of Hitler’s con- centration camps, hours before the Americans arrived. It’s also the backbone of the “Devil’s General” film. Latter is probably more out* it i (><< i H t ;! j 1 and-out anti-Nazi than any of the rest. At the same time, while this may be accepted by the German pub- lic, observers feel that Americans may be more forcefully struck by the fact that the heroe^dm either one of these films givexheiir pro- fessional best to the Hitler cause and seemingly close their eyes and ears to anything excepting the pros and cons involving their military interests. While the tenor of some of-these new German imports is certainly new, indie importers recall a num- ber. of. German productions that followed in the immediate postwar period. Several of these, such as “Marriage in the Shadows” and “Murderers Among Us,” did deal in stark fashion with Nazi brutality and expounded on Germany’s guilt in the murder of Jews and others opposing the Nazi regime. Hears! Favors Continued from page 2 some kind of control setup might be' worked through the U. S. Em- bassy in Moscow if the industry should decide to sell films to the Soviets. He said such American films as are playing in Russia ap- pear very popular with local au- diences. (Editorial addendum: Hollywood isn't selling its pix to the Reds at this moment and, no change in this policy is immediately in sight. The U. S. State Dept, appears to have withdrawn any official objections it might have had to American films going to Russia, but at the same time it hasn't prodded the indus- try to make a deal. Apart from several practical considerations, the Motion Picture Export Assn, fears the p.r. aspects of doing busi- ness with the Russians. It is pre- cisely the Hearst press which, execs feel, may twist any pic deal with Moscow to distort its real pur- poses in the public's mind.) Chile Finds $ ——, Continued from pace 5 —. portion going back to 1951. In 1953 deal was made for remittance cov- ering* accruals up to August, 1952. Present deal covers period since that date to Dec. 31, 1954. Total frozen up to that time was 268,000,- 000 Chilean., pesos. Although the official rate-for the Chilean cur- rency is 200 per dollar, the free market rate has reached over 375. Film companies’ efforts to ex- tract dollars from dollar-hungry Ex- change Control Board (CONDECOR — National Council for Foreign Trade) saw daylight when CONDECOR authorized Artglo- Lautaro Nitrate Co. to sell $1,000,- 000 at free market rate. It was unofficially reported that this au- thorization Was grafted in order to permit the nitrate enterprise to cover salary increases to per- sonnel. Final deal of distribs calls for them to pick up $500,000 at a rate of 368 per dollar, representing a total remittance of 184,000,000 pesos. That means that 84,000,000 pesos remain frozen for the tiipie being. Half million-dollar remittance was divided up among the com- panies percentagewise. George Weltner Continued from page 5 ^ initiative on the part of the over- seas theatre operator, U.S. films enjoy a boffo impact which has created merchandising values al- most equal to the domestic (U.S. and Canadian) grosses', Weltner feels, also, that with the world growing ever smaller, what with plane travel and a greater aware- ness of the foreign attitudes,-“per- ’ { ) t ’ haps the picture business has awaWhed to v what has' v iong ’ been true .in pther industries—petrol, textile?, Heavy machinery,’ automo- biles, and the like.” Universal'was the first to segue its foreign Sales chief, Alfred E. Daffv intor the key position of worldwide sales manager (al- though in Dfcff’s instance, as execu- tive veepee«of the company, he now divides his time between New York andttiS Hollywood produc- tion line almost 50-50). Arthur Loew’s impact on the Culver City setup at ..Metro is another instance where the overseas market and its sensitivities to' certain standards will get increased attention on the production front. For a time, when the Relph Stolkin regime was in RKQ, there was a move also for Arnold Picker 'to handle both the domestic as well as the foreign sales supervision. Richard W. Altschuler, Republics worldwide sales chief, is another instance and so’s Walter Branson at RKO. Australia mibwm Continued from page 3 ernment’s action is figured to save some £75,000,000 (around $168,- 500,000) on the nation's import bill for the next fiscal year. The angle is to slow down the fast-dropping level of Australia’s funds in London. Cuts will, be hardest on Britain and European countries. -As far as pix are con- cerned, that means mostly British imports. The new restrictions go further than cuts imposed last September. The group goods in several cate- gories, with pix coming within the “administrative’’ class. That means that while the aim is to reduce ex- penditures by about 20%, particu- lar commodities are not subject to arbitrary percentage reductions. Thanks to this type of treatment, British films got by without ill ef- fects during a restrictive program eight yfears ago. British film reps here say it’s too early to know, but they feel this time it’s more serious, and they expect to feel the pinch. Since it’s unlikely that Australia will limit imports, the government probably will limit remittances of earnings. ‘Mom & Dad’ Continued from page 7 property rights- without due process of law, and the said statute is void, being in violation of the Four- teenth Amendment of the Consti- tution of the • United States” and also of the N. Y. Constitution. Referring to- license fees col-^ lected by the N. Y. board, London^ argued that such fees impose “a tax on the right of commupicatiOn by means of motion picture films” and therefore violate the 1st and 14th Amendments of the Constitu- tion. In its “Miracle” ruling, the Supreme Court established the equality of films and the press in their rights to claim protection of these Amendments. London’s point^which he brought up some years back in Ohio, and in which he was upheld by a lower court, is that no one can (by tax) be compelled to purchase the right' of communication. This reason-, ing does not, of course, extend to the right to tax proceeds from the sale of newspapers or of films. Analogy quoted is the one used by the Supreme Court: “It is one thing to impose a tax on the in- come or property of a preacher. It is quite another to exact a tax from him for the privilege of deliver- ing a sermon.” C’Scope Impact ^ Continued from page 7 sssss also lagging behind the comparable period in 1954 with expectations for the second quarter much better. Worldwide film rentals of 20th went up from $105,662,266 in 1953 to $106,355,068 last year. Other operating income* also rose by $1,- 500,000 to $8,525,607 in 1954. Amor- tization of film costs, taken on the same basis as in prior years, dropped to 59,737,016 in 1954 from $67,932,758 in 1953. Film distrib- ution and administrative expenses were up in 1954 by over $3,000,000, from $28,223,295 in ‘53 to $31,- 593,279 last year. The net of $8,044,524 was after $7,500,000 in Federal income taxes compared to 3,650,000 in taxes on a $4,560,887 net in 1953. j«. * u ... . | Wednesday,^ March 3Q, 1955. WEEK OF MARCH . 3d Numeral^ In connection with bill* below indicate opening day of «hoW whether fujl or epllt week Letter In parentheses Indicates circuit. (I) Independent! (L) Loew; <M) Mess! <P) Paramount! <R> RKO;: IS) Stoll; <T) Tivoli; <W> Wernor NEW YORK CITY Music. Hell. (1) 31 Jacqueline Lange# Mary Ann "Ray Sondra Barrett Sally Kirkpatrick Claire Young Edmee Hess Wonderboy John V Julian Pets William Upshaw Eric Hutson Rockettos Corps de Ballet Sym Ore ^Palace <R> 1 B Waling Sc Yvette Royal Brent Roy Douglas L Romeros Sc Lolita Ladd Lyon Terry Sc Macks Bert Wheeler Eva Walker CHICAGO Chicago (P) 1 Georgia Gibbs Bill Hayes Crazy Otto 0 Peiro Bros AUSTRALIA MELBOURNI Tivoli <T> 4 Norma Miller Dancers Michael Bentine David Hughes ' Howell Sc R&ddlffe The Alfredros Ursula Sc Gus Gordon Humphries. Irene Bevan John Bluthal Ron Loughhead Dancing Boys Ballet Girls SYDNEY Tivoli (T> 4 Winifred Atwell Chris Cross Eddie Vitch Fontane & Vaughn Joe Church 3 Hellos Romaine Sc Claire Julian Somers Maureen Hudson WELLINGTON Opera House (T) 4 Jean Sablon B Warren Sc Chic W Latona St Sparks Roy-Barbour Margaret Brown 2 Myrons Harry Jacobson Chadells Max Blake Cabaret Bills NEW YORK CITY MIAMI-MIAMI BEACH Clover ctuq Marlon Powers Joe 1$ Ross Tony Lopes Ore The Archers (2) Woody Woodbury iBIack Orchid Jo Thompson Richard Cannon George Stubbs - Sans S.ouci Hotel Denibe Darcel Sacasaa Ore Ann Herman Dcrs Saxony Hotel DorSey Bros Ora Mickey - Sharp C Kaly Dncrs Bobby Clark Buddy Rich Freddy Calo Ore Johnny Silvers Oro Frank Stanley Oro Bombay Hotol Phil Brito Nellda Peter Mack Sandra Barton Jotmlna Hotol Judy Tremaine Sam Bari g loria Panlco aul Trio DlLldo Hotol Bea Kalmus Mambo Jeta La Playa Sextet Emilio Reyes Ore Vanity Fair Othella Dallas Havana Cuban Boya Fansto Curbello Ore Bar of Musk Bill Jordan Arne Sultfen Beth Challis Harvey Bell Fred Thompson Isle De Capri Gene Eaylos ' Eleanor Luckey : Bob Douglas Wally Hankin Oro Fontainebleau Kay Starr Jones Boys Lecuona Cuban B Vat Olmap Oro Beachcomber Betty Hutton Morey Amsterdam The NovElites (3) Len Dawson Ore Balmoral Hotel Emil Coleman Ora Wayne Carmichael Vagabonds Club Vagabonds 4 Bob McFaddcn The Dunhllls Anne Russell Chaz Chase Charlie Farrell Frank Linale Oro Nautilus Hotel Phil Foster Antone Sc Ina Tip-Topper* (2) Syd Stanley Ore Delano Hotel Bob London Terry Scharf Ore Five O'clock Carrie Finnell Nino Yacovino Parisian Rev Empress Hotel Johnny Howard Stuart Sc Samaral Hal Edwards Ore Jack Kerr Ben soir Phil Leeds Mae Barnes 3 Flames jimmy Daniel* Blue Angel Resetta Thorpe Marie Knight Trade Adams Arte Johnson Cashmeres Bart Howard Jimmy Lyons Trio - Cafe Society Steve Gibson Redcaps Tony Roberts B A Roberts Ore Chateau Madrid Aha Moreno Los Collegiales Ralph Font Ore Oscar Calvet Ore- ■ Composer Billy Taylor 3 H Chittison 3 Copacabana WiU Mastin Trio Sammy Davis Jr De Castro Sis J Sc J Belmont Donna Williams Jack Drummond Barbara Maye Larry Howard M Durso ~o*e Frank Marti Ore Hotel Ambassador Quintero Ore Sarkozi Ore Hotel Pierre Kaye Ballard Stanley Melba Ore Chico Belli No. 1 Fifth Av» Cedrone Sc. Mitchell Karen Ander* Bob Downey Harold Fonvllle Hazel Webster Hotel Plaza Ella Logan Ted Straeter Ore Mark Monte Ore Hotel Roosevelt Joseph Sudy Ore Hotel St Regis Jane Morgan Milt Shaw Ore .Ray Bari Hotol Stetlor Les Elgart Ore Hotel Taft Vincent Lopez Ore aatin Quarter Patty Andrews Crlstlani Troup* Miller St Gibson Dolores Sc Holger Clarissa Melodears Harmoneers Art Wane; Oro B Hartowe Ore Le Ruben Bl*u Julius Monk 3 Riffs Dorothy Loudon Jane Sc G Connell Raymond Chase Norman Paris 3 Old Roumanian Sadie Banks Lillian Hayes Cy Reeves Ilona' Joe Laporte Ore D'Aquila Ore k Park Sheraton mi Warren Trio Eddie Layton Patio Gleb Yellln Oro La Fronton Ore Two Guitars Kostya Poliansky Misha Usdataoff Eugene Sc Sonia Lubov Hamshay Aliya. 1 Urio Versailles "Come As You Are*' Connie Sawyer Dick Smart Paul Lynde . Joan Carroll Bill Mullikin Jimmie Russell Betty Logue Inga Swenson Johnny Laverty Franca Baldwin Salvatore Gioe Or* Panchito Ore ' Viennese Lantern Odette Dolores Perry Ernest Schoen Ore Village Barn' Hal Graham Valerie Noble Dolores Ritter Dick Capri Jqdy Caney Waldorf-Astoria Joanne Gilbert Nat Brandwynn* Mischa Borr Village Vanguard Ada Moore Evelyn Page Charley Manna C Williams Trio CHICAGO Black Orchid B Williams Quartet Helen Halplh Dave Romaine Rudy Kerpays Duo Blue Angel ''Calypsorama** Val Navarro C Romano , V Sc L French Lord Burgess A1 D’Lacy Quartet Blue Not* B Carroll Trio Salt City Five Cher Pore# Xavier Cugat Abbe Lane Jackie Kannon Julio Sc M Torres Garcias Cloister Inn Lurlene Hunter Peggy Taft Ace Harris. Claude Jones Dick Man Johnny Fngo Conrad Hilton "Spurs 'n Skates'* Cathy Sc Blair Marvin Roy Carol Williams Le Due Bros Kile Sc Newsolm Robert Lehn The Tattlers Frankie Masters Ore Palmer House Celeste Holm Jonathan Winters Empire Eight Charlie Fisk Ore IOS ANGELES Ambassador Hotel Line Renaud J Conrad Dncrs (5) F Martin Ore Band Box Billy Snyder Charlie Carlisle Skeets Minton Phyllis Inez Larry Green Trio Bar of Musle Ruthie James Les Pine Johnny Hayden Geri Galian Ore Blltmore Hotel Job Sc S Steel* Wally Boag. Los Gatos Trio DO Mattlazzls (3) Hal DerWln oro Giro's K Dunham Dncrs 24 Dick Staple Oro rti )) Mu* c' Giro's Rumba Band Croscondo H James Ore (19). Mocambo Jana Mason Paul Hebert Ore. Joe Castro Ore Moulin Rouge Frank Libtne Margot Brander Four Bogdodis Miss Malta Sc Co Doubledaters (4) Mme Ardelty 1 Jery LaZarre FfolHot Charlton Tony Gentry Gaby Wooldridge Luis Urbina Eileen Christy . Bob Snyder Ore •tetier Hotel Gene Sheldon. 1 tMicki ~Marlo 1 Skinnay Ennis Ore l'ii' i'*!- at RENO Mapes Skyreom Estillta Dominique Skylets Eddie Fitzpatrick New Golden Vicki Young The Chord* Marlon Gay Will Osborne Oro Riverside Crew Cuts High Towers ' 'Amazing Monahans Starlets Bill Clifford Ore HAVANA Troplcane Darvas St Julie D'Aids Q Mercedes Valdes D'Ruff Q O de la Rosa Leonela Gonzalez Raul Diaz Gladys Robau TgOpicana Ballet S de Espana Orq S Suarez Orq 1 A Romeu Orq San Soucf Rivero Singers Los Barcancos Gina Martin 'Victor Alvarez Clarissa Novo Paulina Alvarez Sans Souci Ballet Ray Carson R Ortega Orq C Rodriguez Orq Montmartre L Dulzaides Q Nancy & Rolando Ivette de la Fuente Dellia Bravo Martha Veliz Montmartre .Ballet Casino Playa Orq Fajardo Orq NEWPORT, ICY. Beverly Hills Ben Blue Beachcombers D Dorben Dancers Larry Vincent Dick Hyde G Benedict Ore Jimmy Wilbur Trio LAS VEGAS Pfamingo Keefe Brassell* Slate Eros De Marco Sisters Sands Marguerite PiazAa Last Frontiar Jack Carson * 0 Gypsy Rose Lee Connie Towers Desert Inn Frankie Lain* Bobby Sargent Thunderbird Winged V Chorus HI Rancho Vegas Lili Sfc Cyr Myron Cohett Crew Cuts Guy Cherney Sahara Edgar Bergen Teresa Brewer El Cortez Haley's Comets Showboat Maurice Rocco Silver Slipper Nit* of. Fun Revue * Networks Facing ^ Continued rrom page 2 ——g there was nothing they could do about it. They couldn’t put up strong opposition to the plan, for to be represented as “the network vs. the people” would only make for unpopularity. Major rap will come from tho fact that the thro.ugh-October two- hour differential between the east and the midwest (which bypasses daylight saving completely) will have the effect of throwing major Shows that are in Class A time into Class B and even Class C seg- ments by the time they hit the western sections of the country* throwing the whole cost-of-show rate structure out of kilter. And since all the major clients will be back for the October ride it adds up to more coin than the networks care^to contemplate. Jessel Continued from page t gross, of which perhaps $150,000 will be netted for the flew building fund. Gould, just returned from a European business trip, has Judge Bruce Bromley chairmanning the patrons' committee which in- cludes James A. Earley, et al. This year's, dinner honors Arthur I. Le- Vine, prez of the Beth David Hos- pital. Emil Coleman’s oreh is backgrounding for the show and dansapation, .'l Mi ) ) .) I