Variety (April 1955)

10 PICTURES Wednesday, April 6, 1955 Japanese Wonderful Studio Aides Technicians Hero-Worship Cameraman Burnett Guffey—Kohlmar Lauds Tokyo Production * , 1 . Hollywood, April 5. Hollywood motion picture com- panies now shooting in Japan are receiving the finest cooperatiQn they have enjoyed in any part of the world* Fred Kohlmar, just returned from Osaka where he launched the production of Columbia’s “Sergeant O’Reilly,” reports. Since the first of the year, pro- ducer has made two trips to Tokyo and Osaka, first to select locations and arrange for the aid of Japanese government officials; then, to get his film starring Aldo Ray and Mitsuko Kimura under way. Rich- ard Murphy is directing. “The assistance given by govern- j ment officials, the heads of the Osaka municipal administration, i the Osaka Prefecture and the i police, has been all that we could ask,” Kohlmar states. “We also have had tremendous cooperation from Japanese workers provided by the Daiei Kyoto studios. Natu- rally, there have been language difficulties, as the Japanese crew members speak no English and we are not familiar with their lan- guage, but they’re really 'hep* and learn very fast,, thanks to their consuming curiosity about our equipment. “Our BNC camera and our sound equipment particularly, have fascia nated them, and they swarm all over it to examine it minutely. Our lighting equipment also is much bigger than they are accustomed to. Most of them are smaller physically than we are, and our heavy lights- are a problem-for them. But they haven’t let that worry them. “Our art director, Carl Ander- son, built an entire set with the aid of a Japanese construction foreman who spoke no English, while Carl spoke no Japanese. But with.the aid of the dictionary they got along perfectly. “Fortunately, from Daiei studios where our only interior set was built we did get an assistant di- rector who spoke English, even to our slang, and wherever possible we. are using English-speaking Japanese actors to fill Japanese roles. While the sound track, as a result, may not be as slick and polished as in Hollywood, we hope to gain in authenticity and realism what we lack in complete clartiy. It isn’t essential that every syllable be understood, so long as audi- ences get the meaning.” Cameraman Burnett Guffey, according to Kohlmar, is the big shot with the troupe. “Japanese cameraman follow his every move,” producer pointed out. “I’ve never seen such a nation of camera bugs. When we’re out on location, even when we’re just taking time out to eat lunch, the bushes sud- denly become alive with cameras, as the fans start snapping shutters. “While we were shooting at the Osaka railroad depot, more than 50,000 enthusiastic fans turned up and almost caused a riot, they were so eager to get a close-up view of what was going on. On that day, we had* to close down early in order to escape the mob. Extra police had to be called out to handle the crowd.” Binford Eats Crow Continued from page 5 Atlas Asset Value and would have preferred a full legal showdown,” said Goodman. Memphis’ city attorney had no stomach for defending the censor- ing of “Bamboo Prison” and that left Binford and his three lady echoes out on their stumps. He was forced to license the picture to end the suit. Usually free with the gab, Bin- ford sulked <after having to eat crow. Barricading himself in his home and refusing to answer the phone, he gave every indication of being in a big pet. Incident may or may not be the beginning of the end for Binford’s 26-year autocratic reign. His strange /tenacity has been re- marked before. Binford does not exist in a vacuum but obviously has the moral support or tolerance of the city authorities and the local churches. This is not the first time he’s made Memphis ridiculous in the eyes of the rest of the na- tion. But Memphis has, if any- thing, always taken a perverse pride in his notoriety. Embarrassments have, however, increased in past year. For exam- ple* Binford tangled hot long ago with the local Universalist Church and made no friends by accusing that church of bad conduct in book- ing a 40-year-old Charley Chaplin film for non-theatrical showings. For the first' time in years, the motion picture industry is bent on a determined effort to defrock Memphis censor Lloyd Binford. Taking On the job are Columbia Pictures and the Motion Picture Assn, of America. Tim approach will be a court suit initially looking to reverse Binford’s ban on Col’s “Bamboo Curtain.” MPAA, however wants to press the issue far bevond the facts re- lating to this one film. The organi- zation’s ultimate goal is a court verdict declaring that censorship in Memphis lacks Constitutional authority. This, of course, would put Binford out of business. Curiously, in past the various distributors have been disinclined to fight the Dixie blue-penciller. He has thumhs-downed more pic- tures than any of his colleagues around the country and often, or so it seems, to the trade, for the sole purpose of gratifying a per- sonal whim. (He’s nearly 90 and very opinionated.).. The distribs, while unanimously professing strong anti-censorship sentiment, have refused to take on Binford in legalistic combat for a couple of suspected reasons. Mem- phis, it’s said, is not an important money territory and the revenue lost because of Binford can be re- couped largely in West Memphis, Ark., which is just across the Mis- sissippi River. Further, a ban by Binford has certain publicity value in some instances. UPT's Operating Net Gains Bnt Goldenson Raps Product Supply American Broadcasting - Para- mount Theatres’ 1954 fiscal year brought further improvement in theatre income and operating*] profit but Leonard H. Goldenson, president, has a b'eef about the product situation. He states: “Judging from the schedule of pictures to be released early in 1955, thp present’ im- proved level of business should continue. However, the concentra- tion by producers on fewbr and more expensively made ‘big’ pic- tures remains a matter of concern. The lack of enough good pictures and, the practice of concentrating their release at specific times of the year, creating an uneven dis- tribution flow, were in great * part responsible for depressing our the- atre business during the first five months of. 1954. “This existence of a sellers’ market has resulted both in the- atres paying unusually high 'film rentals and In the necessity of playing pictures for over-extended periods of time. Smaller theatres with more frequent program changes have felt the effects of this shortage more acutely than the large* first-run theatres. There are groups now at work within the industry who are attempting to correct the imbalance of supply and demand by creating additional sources of supply.” AB-PT’s annual report to stock- holders disclosed net operating earnings for 1954 of $4,722,000, or $1.06 per common share, after pre- ferred dividends of $534,000. The previous year brought net operat- ing earnings of $4,480,000, or $1 per common share, after preferred dividends of $488,000. Capital gains in the new year were listed at $210,000, or 5c per common share, compared with $4,515,000, or $1.14 per common share, in 1953. The big cap gains coin in 1953 was derived mostly from the sale of WBKB-TV, Chi- cago, to Columbia Broadcasting System. Rep May Drop Theatre Prod. Burt Balaban Continued from page 3 ers of America and former script editor of Balaban’s package of 13 features shot for television, Bala- ban has not decided which wide- screeh process he’ll use. Other picture, which he’ll- do with Eros after Oct. 15, is “The Ace of Spades,” a spy story scrip- ted by Jerome Ross. Film will be shot in conventional screen tech- nique, but it hasn’t been decided yet whether it will be in color. Exclusive and Eros will control United Kingdom distribution on their respective pix, with Balaban dickering distribution deals here for both films. While Balaban is president of Princess Pictures, he negotiated the coproduction deals on his own and will set up a new corporation tochandle them. Continued from page 3 holdings increased in market value by about $2,600*000. List of stocks in the corporation’s porfolio plainly showed how Atlas Corp. went in heavily for purchase of RKO Pictures Corp, shares while dropping its 10,000 shares of RKO Theatres stock. Report shows the company held 1,000,000 shares of RKO Pictures at the end of 1954 as against only 76,000 shares at the end of 1953. Value of RKO Pix stock hold by Atlas as of the 1954 financial report was $8,875,000. Company held on to its 25,000 shares of Paramount Pictures stock, valued at $1,003,125. It showed 105,000 shares of Walt Dis- ney Productions stock {valued at $2,625,000) or an increase of 4,000 shares over a year ago. It held no other film or theatre shares. Atlas listed its negotiations “with respect to RKO Pictures” as one of the three major projects of the past yeari. . Inside Stuff-Pictures By opening half arf hour ahead of the London presentation, “A Man Called Peter” had its world preem at La Scala, Glasgow last Thurs. (31). The time differential gave thg Scottish city a five hour beat on the launching at the Roxy, New York. Although Glasgow is Britain’s second city, this was the first time ever that a world premiere had been staged there and to mark the occasion 20th-Fox chartered an aircraft to fly a contingent of London and American newsmen to Scotland. (Because of the newspaper strike many of the London cor- respondents felt obliged to drop out at the last minute.). The screening, arranged by a personal cable exchange between Spyrbs P. Skouras and Sir Alexander B, King, was on an impressive scale. The London contingent were met at Glasgow airport by Mrs. Hutton, the sister of Catherine Marshall, and Sir Alex and the arrival was covered by newsreels. At a .private function later the Lord Provost praised the picture unreservedly and said he would refer to its message in every public speech he made during its run. S. D. Kane, North Central Allied executive counsel, tells members in the current NCA members that “frankly, if I had a theatre and Mr. Disney’s representative asked me to play a picture which had been cut down from what previously was. shown on tv I’d ask him how much he was going to pay me to run It.” Kane’s comment is occasioned, he states, by the fact that Disney is editing the “Adven- tures of Davy Crockett” tv series into 95 minutes for theatrical re- lease. “It will be interesting,” he points out, “to learn the terms Buena Vista asks for this one.” Continued from pace 1 Borden Chase, vet screen writer, is a cautious man, not wanting to rush things. .After using this name for 15 years, he petitioned L. A. Superior Court to legalize cognomen, switching from Frank Stanley Fowler. He also requested the court to legally change the name of f his wife*’ Patricia Moore Fowler* change was in the thinking stage” and would be discussed by Q the board of directors at its meeting following the stockholder -session. He pointed out that the company was not signing any more per- formers, operating only on a pic- ture-by-picture arrangement, and that by the end of the year “we will , be free of all our player con- tracts.” If the change goes through, he |-said, the company would be able to reduce its staff and facilities by 25% within 90 days. He pointed out that even if the company did not make pictures on its lot, it could emerge with a $1,000,000 yearly profit merely by renting stu- dio space to various telepix produc- ers. In-addition, he noted that a good deal of the processing busi- ness' would be “thrown into our laboratory.” The Rep topper said the com- pany had received “many calls” for rental space. The company, he said, realized $700,000 last year from renting studio space. He out- lined plans for expanding both the studio and laboratory facilities, noting that the company had 45 acres adjacent to the Republic lot. This property, he said, was pur- chased in. 1937 for $70,900 and is now worth $500,000, based on the offers Rep has received for the land. He said the company’s print- ing biz had been so good that it spent $500,000 to enlarge the plant facilities. Ho said the company planned to enlarge its lab in N. Y. because “we can’t handle all the business we’re getting.” “We are doing very well with our laboratory and tv,” he said. “Because of conditions over which we have no control, we are not doing as well as we’d like in the theatrical field. It's a question of stop making pictures for theatres to concentrate on our laboratory and television, both of which have been very successful, “This is nothing new. I’ve dis- cussed it with a number of circuit heads and they know my position. The only thing that can change our minds'is if they play our pictures and pay more money for them.” While Republic has been in the forefront of tv activity for a num- ber of years, both by selling old features to tv and by telepix pro- duction, this is the first official in- dication that a theatrical film firm will defect from the ranks, an omen that the picture industry will ■ mark with more than passing in- terest. Tenor of Yates' statement was perhaps set by worldwide sales chief Richard W. Altschuler who, in a report to stockholders, gave a downbeat picture of the future of the industry. Discussing -the do- mestic market, he said that small- er situations are closing rapidly and “-the number of theatres where we can play our pictures is dimin- ishing.” He said that tv 4s having its effect, noting the estimated audi- ence of 60,000,000 which recently viewed the televised “Peter Pan.” He said the domestic market is changing every .day and that at- tendance had dipped from 90,000,- 000 weekly to 45,000,000 in a 10- year period. As to the foreign market, he pointed to the intro- duction of tv in Great Britain, the import restrictions of many for- eign countries, and the reevaluation of the currency, the effect of which “we’re .beginning to feel.” Although Yates and management were harrassed throughout the ses- sion, the real fireworks did not break out. until Altschuler intro- duced a motion to adjourn. At this point, management was charged with attempting "to railroad” the meeting. The opposition was led by Harold Weill, a stockholder and member of the law firm of Leon, Weill & Mahoney, He’s also a for- mer director of United Artists. William Zimmerman, former vee- pee and general counsel of RKO Pictures during the shortlived Ar- nold Grant regime, is also a mem- ber of the law firm. Weill questioned Yates and other management*, reps sharply on the company’s activities and blasted the contemplated move to with- draw from the theatrical field. He chided Yates’ explanation of why Republic was not doing as well as the other film companies during a generally upbeat film market. Earlier Yates, in answering a stock- holder query on the subject, said: “We don’t know how other com- panies keep their books*and:rec- ords. I feel pretty sure the profits had something to do with the sep- aration of theatres and production companies. It’s impossible to make a profit in today’s market’’ Weill won the support of Wall Sti. broker Bernard E. Smith, whose son, Bernard E. Jr., is a member of the Republic board of directors. It was Smith Sr., incidentally* who stayed management’s attempt to adjourn the session. Young Smith was named to the hoard last year, being the only non-management sponsored director. He was* nomi- nated after his father had refused the post. Weill’s motion to probe the pos- sibility of, changing management received a total of 80,450 shares voting in support while the man- agement, armed with proxies, was able to defeat it with T,300,000 shares. Smith voted 72,300 shares which he controls for the motion. After the session, Weill said he may start a proxy fight. “If I’m asked to do so by a sufficient num- ber of stockholders; I will,’.’ he said. Young Smith, queried by reporters after the meeting, said he felt badly at what happened at the meeting. “I go along with most of the stockholders here,” he said. “If management has nothing to conceal, it has nothing to lose by an investigation by a stockhold- er committee.” He indicated he was ojot satisfied with Yates’ stew- ardship based on what “was dem- onstrated today.” Asked if he were satisfied with the way the com- pany had been run, he said that “the information given directors is J,so meager, it’s hard to give an in- formed judgment on Yates’ stew- ardship. I’m open-minded. I hope it’s better than what we saw to- day.” Smith Jr. said some of the things that had come up at the meeting were “alarming” and that a “good deal of consideration” should be given the complaints. He emphatically said that he did not favor a retreat from the theatrical film field. Directors elected, all manage- ment supported, for three-year .terms included John Petrauskas Jr., William M. Saal, Edwin Van Pelt, and Douglas T. =. Yates. Earlier, Yates disclosed Rep had received $7,000,000 in the past two years from the sale of old pix to tv. He said. Rep has received a $1,000,000 advance from MCA for the old Gene Autry and Roy Rogers films. Pasternak Continued from pace 3 made. We should take it easy in criticizing these newcomers. Let’s give them a chance to develop. That’s the only way they can learn their trade.” Pasternak, in his pitch to ex- hibitors, urged them to have pa- tience with pictures featuring new faces. He told them “not to be discouraged” and to “give these pictures a break” by holding the films over long enough to give the word of mouth a chance to build. “The trouble with many exhib- itors,” he said, “is that as soon as they book a picture with new faces, they’re already looking for another picture. They don’t give the public a chance to s$e these newcoihers. If they lose a little money at the beginning, they .owe that much to us in our effort to develop new faces.” During his tour, Pasternak found the public confused by the many new film processes, with people banding around Cinerama# Cinemascope, VistaVision, Todd- AO, etc., and not being quite sure what each one was. “Maybe it’s a good thing,” he said. “At least it stimulates interest in motion pictures.” Having completed “Love Me or Leave,” the Ruth Etting biofilm, Pasternak returns to the Coast at the end of week to begin prepara- tion for “Weekend at Las Vegas,” starring Cyd Charisse. Film is set to roll on May 26. Also on Paster- nak’s schedule is “Cheating Heart,” the story of Hank Wil- liams, and “International Revue,' a film which will be shot in differ- ent parts of the world. Part of the producer’s recent tour was to line up performers for “Interna- tional Revue.” George Sidney will direct the film and, according to Pasternak, every star on the Metro M will appear, in itv