Variety (July 1955)

Wednesday, July 6, 1955 PICTURES 7 + +• It's still open season on film advertising specialists. Alliance Amusement Co., Chicago, this week passed along an unsolicted. letter received from a patron, beefing that ‘“movie ads haven’t changed in 20 years.!’ Added the ticket-buyer: “It has been my observation that most movie ads just aren’t factual enough to tell the reader what he wants to know before; he’s willing to spend money for a ticket. I believe the day is past when the public can be stampeded to the theatre through sensationalism and ‘gimmick’ advertising. But does Hollywood realize this?’’ Another heavyweight champion- ship fight has been snared by theatre television. Nate •Halpern’s Theatre Network Television closed a deal with the International Box- ing Club for the closed-circuit tv rights of the Rocky Marciano- Arcliie Moore bout, Perhaps for the first time, there was no ques- tion of bidding between home tv and theatre tv interests. The IBC revealed the closed-circuit arrang- ment simultaneously with its an- nouncement of the signing of Mar- ciano and Moore to meet at Yankee Stadium, N.Y., on Sept. 20. Despite the disappointing b.o. results of the May 10 fight between Marciano and British challenger Don Cockell, TNT and exhibitors are optimistic about the returns of the upcoming • Marciano-Moore match. Marciano’s meeting' with Cockell, which originated from San Francisco, suffered from a severe pre-fight downbeating from the nation’s sportswriters. Actually, the bout turned out to be a better •how than had been anticipated. As has been the practice in the past, a 50-mile radius of New York City and a 50:inile ai^a of New England will be blacked out. Shut- out of New England theatres from the closed-circuit telecast is aimed at protecting the gate at the actual site of the bout. Marciano hails from Brockton, Mass, and has a large following in the area. German Pix Pact Pleases French Berlin, June 28. A new Franco-German film agreement, allowing for the con- tinued import of a minimum of 30 French films into Germany annual- ly, was sighed in Hamburg last week. The pact runs for a year, and provides bonus facilities for coproductions and festival entries. Germany has become one of the major foreign markets for the French pictyre producer, being worth at least $1,750,000 a year in transferable coin. This is roughly about one-fifth of Hollywood’s in- . come, from the market. From the purely economic point of view, the German territory plays a vital role in French film finances. In terms of hard cash, it yields about four times the receipts from the whole of the United Kingdom. U nder the new pact, basic Im- ports are restricted to a quota of about 30 pix annually, but they are permitted bonus imports on a one- for-one basis for each Franco-Ger- man coproduction. Last year, five films were jointly produced, and it is hoped to step up the total in the coming period. In addition, under the deal con- cluded by the International Film Producers Federation in Madrid last year, they get additional visas for each French film entered for the Berlin fest. This year, they have four festival entries which will count as extras for their over- all quota. JAP FEMME STAR SET FOR BRITISH FILM Tokyo,. June 28. Keiko Kishi, Shochiku Studio star who won the best actress award at the Second Southeast Asian Film Festival held last month in Singapore, has been se- lected for a starring, role in a British film.. David Lean, British director who has been here search- ing for a girl to play the femme lead in his next film, “The Wind Cannot Read,’’ chose Miss Kishi after testing many actresses. “Wind,” based on a novel by James Mason about the tragic love affair between an RAF officer and a Japanese girl, will be shot in India and London starting next January. New York Gets Another %-MiI $ Chilean Payoff Santiago, July 5. American film distributing com- panies cleaned up accrued royalties of 1954 and a small portion of 1955 returns #rhen a total of $250,- 000 was remitted to New York last weekend. With the $500,000 sent in March, the dollar remittances so far this year total $750,000. The local Film Board composed of representatives of Metro-Gold- dyn-Mayer, Paramount, Republic, RKO, 20th Century-Fox, ^United Artists and Columbia, all MPEA members, negotiated the same deal used for obtaining the half million dollars last March. Monies will be split percentage-wise among the various companies. Three months ago, Board made purchase from the Anglo-Lautaro Nitrate Co., at the free market rate of 368 Chilean pesos per dollar, or a total of 184,000,000 pesos, although the of- ficial exchange rate was and still is 200 pesos per dollar. The Chilean exchange control board (CONDECOR — National Council for Foreign Trade) a few weeks ago authorized the film dis- tribs to purchase $250,000 from the Anaconda Copper Company which had obtained permission to sell dol- lars at the free rate in order to ac- cumulate pesos for opening a new small mine. In the ensuing nego- tiations, the operation was closed at 500 pesos per dollar (against 3.68 in March), or a total of 125,000,- 000 pesos. On the day of the re- mittance, the free rate actually 515, so the companies, while paying a big price for the greenbacks, still paid less than the prevailing rate which today (20) hit 536. Chilean peso has been weakening steadily while the prevailing inflation con- tinues to skyrocket. Meantime, exhibs are negotiat- ing with CONDECOR regarding the 1955 import quota for U. S. films. Delay in getting this question set- tled has some companies scraping the bottom of the barrel. CON- DECOR Which has the headache of making the dollars available stretch as far as possible, origi- nally proposed to reduce last year’s quota for American films from $283,200 to $148,240, Filfn Board has presented a counterproposition suggesting that the billing price established for pix be reduced so that more films can be brought in for the same amount of dollars. Some M.D. s Stuffy About ‘Stranger But Medical Society Repudiates ‘Censorship*—-Film Benefits Front Publicity —,— . — - i ■ ■ —,—-— — t-- Newspapers, which have always reserved the right to censor adver- tising copy and art submitted for publication, have stepped up their bluepencilling of film advertising in recent months, according to the- atre advertising toppers. In some cases, the ads that are being nixed have had the approval of the Mo- tion Picture Assn, of America. Film,' men are blaming the more active scissoring as stemming from the efforts of pressure groups which under discipline, have been bombarding, the local papers with beefs. Rather than antagonize local church groups and sub- scribers many newspapers through the country have adopted a tougher policy in scrutinizing film adver- tising, Some of It ‘Whim’ Theatremen, in some instances, have agreed that the newspapers have showed wise judgment in ask- ing revisions bn some. of the ads taken directly from the film com- pany pressbooks. However, there is an undercurrent of complaints relating to the inconsistency and occasional arbitrary methods fol- lowed by some dailies. Chief squawk of theatremen is that some of the nipping is based merely on the whim of. the advertising man- ager. There is no pattern to the censoring of the ads. It varies from city to city and depends large- ly on the activity and influence of the local pressure groups. What is particularly irking the- atre advertising men is the fact that the censoring campaign ap- pears to apply only to film adver- tising. They . cite examples of brassiere, girdle, and hosiery ads and even cheesecake photos in the editorial sections which are passed untouched in the same issues of newspapers that have demanded alterations in the film ads. In Washington, the K-B Amuse- ment Co. discovered that the Star had a new policy about three weeks ago when it attempted to place an ad on Allied Artists’ Yvonne De Carlo starrer, “Shotgun.” Al- though the ad was used in AA's national campaign, the paper in- sisted that shoulder straps be painted on Miss DeCarlo's shoul- ders. The painting on of shoulder straps and the retouching of bosom cleavage are perhaps the most common demands currently made by newspapers. Theatres playing United Artists “Kiss Me Deadly” were forced to tone down the bosom exposure iii their newspaper ads. Many papers have also been nixing all clinch scenes in declin- ing positions. Metro’s ‘ “The Prodigal” ran into considerable difficulty on this count and, in many cases, theatres were forced to eliminate the panel containing the reclining pose. Object to Copy-Lines The copy is also frequently chal- lenged. Some recent eliminations include “Whatever You’re Going to Do to Me Mike, Do It Quickly" (from UA’s “Kiss Me Deadly”; and “Tell Him. . No Matter What. Tell Him You’re Pregnant” (from UA’s “Not As a Stranger.”). In one instance, a theatre suggested • a change to “Tell Him You’re Going To Have a Baby,” but the local newspaper refused to accept this phrase as well. A theatre in Washington which booked the nudist film, “Garden of Eden,” sought to insert “Adults Only” in its ad in an honest at- tempt to limit the audience. How- ever, the newspaper refused to ac- cept it and only ran the title of the picture. The theatre, however, dis- played an “Adults Only” sign in front of the house. A Washington theatre attempted to run a quote from N. Y. Times- man Bosley Crowther’s review of “Pit of Loneliness,” a French im- port distributed by Arthur Davis. The Star rejected the quote which referred to “intimate love in a girl’s school.” Also tabooed by the sheet are such words as “intimate,” “mature,” and “adult.” The N. Y. Times is rather strict on occasions. During the N. Y. run of “Pit of Loneliness,” Davis submitted a reprint of Cue’s re- mm CITY STORY’ HAS LOCAL BACKING Sam Bischoff wants to correct any and all errata about where his production of “The Phenix City Story” will bow. There may be some local citizenry up in arms against the film but the “responsi- ble” localites and civic brass of this scandal-ridden Alabama town are endorsing the pic, for it shows how to fight back against crime and corruption. Because of this, states Bischoff, “Phenix City” will preeitt at the Phenix City Drive-In Theatre and the Palace along with the Georgian Theatre, Columbus, July 19. Brandt Me-Toos View U.S. Exhibs Miss Alien Bets Exhibitors may be missing the boat by failing to push foreign films according to circuit exec Harry Brandt, who returned to New York last ‘ week from a six-week European trip. They don’t realize the potential that could come out of imports, he said, if they’d only invest the time to sell and exploit them the same as they do Holly- wood films. Previously, Brandt declared, “I had the opinion that foreign pro-, ducers were working on skimpy bankrolls. On the contrary, they have lots of money but find it dis- couraging that in some areas on the U. S. there’s no market for their pictures regardless of their value. Brandt emphasized that he per- sonally was going to see what could be done to sell foreign pix in the U. S. and win foreign film-makers more playdates. “Here we are,” lie reflected, “stuck for product and we’re not giving them a mar- ket. They don’t need financing as much as they need dates.” . More- over, he added, the fact that Amer- ican co-producers "ban supply them .Hollywood stars isn’t too strong a point for it’s much more important that they push their own stars. Although Brandt primarily went abroad in connection with Italian trade week to be held in N. Y. Oct 6-12, he bought one French film and made offers for two other pix. Acquired was “Stopover at Orly,” a Dany Robin starrer, for Trans- Lux Pictures (a Brandt affiliate)> Dubbed in English, it will be preemed in the U. S. as “Stop- over.” He also has bids in for the German-made “Ludwig” and the Italian “La Strada.” view with the copy, but the Times turned it down because there were references to “unnatural love.” Advertising for foreign films has frequently run into difficulty with the newspapers, but in recent months theatres have found the dailies bearing down on the ads for major attractions from the- top studios. As indicated previously, the conclusion of the film men is that the pressure groups are work- ing overtime. As an example of the whim of a particular advertising manager, the case is cited of an upstate N. Y. daily which turns down submis- sions if, for example, Esther Wil- liams wears a check bathing suit in the ad and a striped one in the picture. The ad manager terms this “misrepresentation.” Ad there’s the conservative N. Y. Times which cuts down the super- latives. In Times copy, no picture can be the “greatest” or “best” ever made. Detroit, July 5. United Artists’ publicist Howard Pearl reaped a bonanza in space for “Not As A Stranger” when some Detroit doctors rebelled at plans to screen the film for the medical profession at the Henry Ford Hos- pital auditorium. . Pearl had arranged for screen- ing with the Detroit and Tri-Coun- ty League for Nursing and some 450 Detroit area doctors and nurses had signified their intention of attending., But Pearl got word Hospital was cancelling it because the Wayne County Medical Society had nixed the showing" on the grounds the film ‘showed doctors in an unfavorable light.” Pearl promptly fired back a blast that the Society was unfair to con- demn the film before seeing it and apparently was basing its action on the belief the film adhered to the book plot. Several months ago, in a review in the Society’s publi- cation, the book was called trash. This flushed out Dr. James J. Lightbody, society spokesman, who denied the society hod asked Ford Hospital to cancel the screening. “The Society was never consulted in any way about the film,” he said. ‘‘Certainly, we have no' right to tell a hospital what to do. We would never tell anyone not to show a film. We are not censors. Hospital authorities might have talked to individual members and gotten their individual opinions on the matter, but that certainly doesn’t entitle anyone to say the society has banned the picture.” ~ Then, William Nye, Ford Hospi- tal spokesman, added to the pub- licity, saying there was “no partic- ular reason for the cancellation ex- cept some staff doctors thought it best.” To all other questions, he replied “no comment,” Meanwhile, Pearl had arranged for the screening of the pix at Sinai Hospital because “so many doctors were disappointed about Ford’s action that we are deter- mined to ' accommodate them.” Sinai's auidtorium seats only 125, however, while Ford’s seats 500, About 60 turned in comment cards at Sinai. Samples: “A great tribute to medical professsion, I would advise anyone connected with medicine to see it.” “A slam on medical profession. And this is to be shown to many uneducated laymen? Shame on you.” “Mitchum was wonderful. Imagine resecting aortas in his first year of prac- tice I” Several nurses were angered at implications in film that nurses are pushovers for doctors. Others thought film too technical. Cal Leads in New Frankfurt, July 5. First lineup of the 1955-50 film season in West Germany shows 383 pictures competing for playdates in the theatres, with the largest indi- vidual lineups coming from U. S. firms, Columbia leads the list with 33 titles and at least five German films, Metro follows with 28 films on its release schedule, followed by Warner Bros, and Universal with 27 each. Paramount 24, United Art- ists 23 and RKO 22. RKO, inci- dentaly is for the first time dis- tributing a German film in-addi- tion to its Yank program, “Solange Du Lebst” (So Long as You Live). J. Arthur Rank has announced eight British and two German films. Deutsche London offers 14 German and six British. The catalog to date shows 125 German and Austrian pictures, 80 in black and white, 43 in color, two Cinemascope. Among the Ameri- can group, so far there are 159 black and white, 98 in color, and 126 in color for large screens.