Variety (August 1955)

NCTCBES PftfUEff Prints Cost 20th $250*000 More Per MISHAPS PLAGUE 'TRIBUTE' Prospects of 20th-Fox solving its+- print bottleneck created by. the unequal distribution of optical and stereophonic Cinemascope installa- tions in the theatres were called dim in N.Y. Monday (8) by A1 Lichtman, 20th’s director of dis- N tribution. Lichtman, who said that 20th today was spending $250,000 more per picture on prints than it did in the pre-C’Scope era, frankly ac- knowledged he didn’t hold much hope that exhibs would purchase the equipment necessary to allow a, house with optical sound to use a magnetic stereophonic print. Cost of the added gadget is put at $1,0Q0 to $1,200. “I don’t have much faith in selling exhibitors the idea of single-track picjkups,” Licht- man observed. “I dori’t think we’ll get very far with single-track mag- netic sound.” However, interjected William C. Gehring, 20th assistant j exec sales head, the company is still trying to get the price down, j 20th’s problems arise with the fact that, of the equipped U.S. and Canadian houses, only 3,593 have stereophonic sogind pickup gear whereas 10,312 elected to buy C’Scope with optical sound. This forces 20th to'go in for a much, greater print volume per feature (over 500) without getting full use but of its stereo copies. Lichtman said* that, at one time, he had hoped 20th’s engineers could come up with a Combination magnetic-optical track, but that he now knew it couldn’t be done. In citing the $250,000 per picture fig- ure, Lichtman pointed out that this was in part attributable to the use. of Eastman Color. In the past, be- fore C’Scope, 20th had fewer tint- ers and used the cheaper Techni- color .process. Dayis-McCarthys United Motion Picture Organiza- tions, formed by Richard Davis and John G. McCarthy as an importing outfit for European films, will un- dertake its own distribution in the U.S. and is currently assembling a sales staff. UMPO, which has some of the top French product, including “French Can-Can,” will serve as an outlet for quality imports.pri- marily from France*and Italy. Davis and McCarthy are leaving N.Y. for Europe Aug. 17 to make additional deals, particularly with Italo pro- ducers. This serves to .emphasize the cur- rent competition for the top Euro- pean films for which, it’s felt, there now is a market in the U.S.* pro- vided they are properly presented, Feeling is growing, too, that dub- bed product may yet have its day here. Number of companies and indies interested in grabbing" off Eu- rope's cream output is probably unprecedented. Exhibits are in the running, too, and one important outfit is due to announce soon that it’s also ready to play the foreign film game. Significantly, the parties now in the running for the imports are no longer indies anxious to grab off a picture here or there, but for the most part outfits with solid fi- nancial backing. To a degree this is an adjustment to the very high guarantees being demanded by producers on the Continent. UMPO, shortly after its forma- tion huddled with Distributors Corp. of America as a possible re- lease channel for its films.’ How- ever, these negotiations have fal- len through and Davis and McCar- thy. have come to the conclusion that they’d be better off doing the job themselves. Aim is to establish UMPO as the U.S. outlet for the best European pix. However, some of the other distribs have similar ideas. Trouble is that, on the whole, the quality of European production has dropped since the war. Italians, for instance, who had some re* bounding successes in this coun- try, of late have sent across only few films that have excited much comment. “The Lost Continent,” is one (it’s a Cinemascope tinter and a documentary) and the re~ cent “La Strada” is another. Speedy Star-Making Hollywood, .Aug. 9. Demand for new faces on the screen has caused Para-. mount to alter its pattern of buildups for young players. According to production chief Don Hartman, the studio will continue fche new process which launched .Carol Ohmart as a star before the release of her first picture, “The Scarlet Hour.” ' “We used to allow five years to build a star,” Hartman ex- plained, “but instead of tak- ing that long, we hope to prove in Miss Ohmart’s in- stance that she is a great ac- tress in her first picture. “This type of build-up can be accomplished if we choose the new personality, the ve- hicle and the director with equal care, as we did in this case by assigning Miss Oh- mart’s debut to the capable talents of Michael Curtiz.” ’ Bank of America’s Geiger Packages 26 Foreclosed Pix for Cuba, Puerto Rico Bank of America is continuing to rake in coin on a group of fore- closed feature ^pictures. In deals set this week, Circuito GMQ will distribute over its ' television facilities in Cuba and Puerto Rico a. group of 26 pictures and'Post Pictures Corp. has obtained the 16m non-theatrical rights for the U. S. and Canada to 15 films owned by the bank. The Circuito package includes such films as ’“Arch of Triumph,” “Body and Saul, “Casbah,” “One Touch of Venus,” “Dark Mirror,” “The Other Love” and Miracle of the Rells.” U. S. and Canadian television distribution of these films is being handled by General Teleradio. Included in the non-theatrical package . are a number of films n^er before available for this market, including “Body and Soul,” “Caught,” “The Other Love,” “Ramrod,” “Four Faces West,” and “So This Is-New York.” Deals were set by Peter W. Geiger, head of the bank’s N. Y. motion picture department. Antics of juve audiences has forced many theatres in the N.Y. metropolitan area to employ spe- cial guards to help ushers in keep- ing the teenagers iff line. The ex- tra help is not only confined to houses in the slum areas but is also required in theatres in many of the so-called “good neighborhoods.” Former New York City Police * Dept. Inspector Lester J. Meneilly, who heads operations of Interstate Industrial Protective Co., firm which provides the guards for the theatres, notes that the boisterous and destructive juves are not nec- essarily members of the well-pub- licized gangs involved in street battles and knifings. He points out that many of the youngsters ap- parently come from good homes, “but seem to forget it when they visit the neighborhood theatre.” According to Meneilly, former captain of Manhattan’s 30th Prec- j int, the teenagers rip up seats, deliberately destroy the washroom plumbing, rifle the vending ma- chines, disturb other patrons with their rowdyism, and indulge in necking sessions that go beyond anything that is permitted on the screen. This has been a common com- plaint of theatremen throughout the country who have had to con- tend with juvenile delinquents in recent years. It's difficult to esti- mate the damage, but the cost for repairs and in business lost is tough to. take during a period of a box- office decline. Theatremen have fried many methods to combat the menace. Some have achieved re- sults via work with Parent-Teach- er and church groups, but for the most part the danger still exists in First Tracy’s Operation—Now Bob Francis' Death Hits Budget Hollywood, Aug. 9, Costs on Metro’s “Tribute to a Bad Man” continue to rise, follow- ing the death last week of Robert Francis, who had been playing the second male lead in what had start- ed "out to be a Spencer Tracy star- rer. Actor had already appeared in approximately two weeks of filming while .troupe was on location in Colorado, all of which must now be refilmed with his replacement. Tracy previously had been forced to bow out of ’ p i c t u r p due to incoming surgery, after having worked for about a week, and was replaced by James Cagney, who will start work in about a week when film resumes. None of Fran- cis’ scenes, however, had been with Tracy, which would have saved shooting time had studio been able to pair Cagney with whoever suc- ceeds Francis. Warner Bros, racked up a net profit of $3,312,000 for the nine- month stanza ending May 28, equivalent to $1.33. per share on the 2,274,275 shares outstanding. Net profit-for the same period of the previous year amounted to $2,- 536,000, equal to $1.02 per share on the 2,474,337 shares then outstand- ing. Most recent net was arrived at after provision of $3,500,000 for federal income taxes apd $400,000 for contingent .liabilities as com- pared with $2,250,000 for federal taxes and $300,000 for contingent liabijties for similar period of 1954.' Included in thq. profit for the nine months ending May, 1955 is a profit of $15,000 from the sale of capital assets as compared with a profit of $772,000 for the same period of 1954. Film rentals and sales amounted to $53,080,000 as compared v^ith $49,506,000 for the corresponding period last year. Consolidated balance sheet reveals advances to independent producers totalling $15,527,485, with $3,872,339 for released productions less, estimated amounts recoverable, $4,753,990 for completed productions not re- leased, and $6,901,156 for pro- ductions in work. The hiring of special guards adds to the cost of general theatre operation, but with conditions as they are," theatreowners say they have no ohoice. Throwing of miss- ies and dropping them from the balcony to the orchestra is one of the dangerous practices that has guards hopping. Competition of adolescent wolves for the atten- tion of unescorted girls leads to dangerous situations. It is some- times necessary for the manage- ment to call in the police when a juve resists the special guard’s sug- gestion that he leave the theatre. Generally, however, the.very pres- ence of a guard tends to temper the youngsters’ behavior. Meneilly feels that most of the kids are not really criminally de- linquent. “But their behavior can sometimes lead to a dangerous sit- uation in a crowded theatre.” Guards are instructed to treat the kids carefully. They single ou^ the ringleader and attempt to appeal to his better nature. Sometimes, it works, but not always on a per- manent basis. Constant offenders are barred from the theatres. Censored ’Blackboard’ Accepted in Australia Sydney, Aug. 9. Metro’s “Blackboard Jangle” was given the censor’s okay here after a tone down of several oi the more brutal scenes. Censor Jack Alexander, regarded as lib- eral-minded, put the “adult only” label* on pic. “Jungle” is currently a wham hit in four of Metro’s own houses here. By HY HOLUNGER*+***+** f ♦ ♦ * Wednesday, August 10, 1955 ! ♦♦♦ % + » > + ♦ ♦♦ > ♦♦♦♦ », ♦♦ ♦ » »»+*+»»♦ * »+ ■ »» ♦> M ♦ ♦ * M . . i .• I: New York Sound Truck j: : ♦ t ♦♦ ♦ ♦ t ♦ ♦ ♦♦ M »*♦+■»♦♦♦»♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ » ♦ »+ »♦ ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦»+ 44 ♦ 1 4 o ’ AP London item quoting Noel Coward on his “first role in almost 20 years in an American movie is the part of Roland Smythe-Piggot ip Jules Verne’s ‘80 Days Around The World’; it should be very tremendously interesting, for there’s no such role in the book,” It was footnoted by the press service, “There’s no such book, for that matter. Verne called his work ’Around the World in 80 Days’.” (This is Michael Todd's indie in Todd-AO process.) Jake Wilk, back from a- month’s European holiday, -devoted part of the trip to presenting to the Lloyds of London Museum an original piece from the pioneer (1904) Wright Bros, plane in behalf of author Fred C. Kelly, who wrote “Kitty Hawk.” This is the saga of Orville and Wilbur Wright. When Wilk was WB eastern story editor he acquired the property but Mel Shavelson & Jack Rose, in effecting their release from the Burhank plant, took over the pioneer plane inventors' story which they will now make for Par. Also while abroad Wilk quickied to Munich to o.o. “White Horse Irin,” which an English group wanted to film, but advised that, apart from the durable Ralph Benatzky score, the libretto was too dated. Erik and Ludwig Charrel (former produced it originally) are now in Virtual retirement in Paris. Ilya Ropert arrived from Paris yesterday (Tues.) for talks with United Artists officials on the handling of “Summertime,” “Man Who Loved Redheads,” “Lucky Kid,” and "Richard III.” He returns to Europe Aug.'25 for the Venice Film Festival . . . James Cagney, vaca- tioning at his home in Martha’s Vineyard, heads for Montrose; Colo- rado, next week to begin work in Metro’s “Tribute to a Bad Man.” Domestic billings of 20th-Fox for the first half of 1955 ran to $25,• 500,000 as against foreign billings for the same period of $25,800,000. Last week’s issue of Variety mistakenly put the domestic figure at $26,000,000. Point of the story was that, for the first time in its history, 20th’s foreign revenue over-shadowed domestic returns for such an extended period of time. • Batjac Productions (John Wayne and Robert Fellows) has in mind a biopic on Sarah Bernhardt ... Edmund Grainger borrowed Virginia Mayo from Warners to co-star with Robert Stack and Ruth Roman in “Great Day In the Morning” at RKQ.. , . “The Steel Jungle” is the new tag on Warners’ “I Died A Thousand Times.” . . . Universal will make “The Creature Walks Among Us” as a Sequel to “The Creature From the Black Lagoon” and “Revenge of the .Creature.” . . . Lena Horne returns to Metro as a guest star in “Viva Las Vegas.” United Artists execs on a travel binge; prexy Arthur Krim back from Europe via Rome; ad mgr. Roger Lewis back from Coast talks with indie’ producers, and -A1 Tamarin, assistant pub-ad chief, at his desk after Caribbean vacation cruise . . . Liberate is resuming his concert engagements following a trip to Paris foi* "Sincerely Yours,” first of a multiple picture deal with Warner Bros . * . Kal Ross- Universal Company, personal management firm headed by former sportscaster-commentator Kal Ross, named casting consultants for indie film firm of Harris-Kubrick which is filming “Clean Break” for United Artists release . . Matsutaro Kawaguchi, managing director of the Daiei Motion Picture Co. of Tokyo, will attend the Venice and Edinburgh Film Festivals before coming to New York in September. At Edinburgh, he’ll accept Golden Laurel Medals for “Gate of Hell’' and “Ugetsu” , . . Columbia has closed a 21-year lease with Lederer de Paris to continue to maintain space in the building at 711 Fifth Ave. Film company recently Acquired the 15-story building and after a complete reconditioning will consolidate all its New York operations under one roof ... Metro studio executive Ben Thau sailed over the weekend for a honeymoon in Europe ... Susan Hayward arrives from the Coast this week for New York sequences of “i’ll Cry Tomorrow” . . . John Kerr off to the Coast for a role in Metro’s “Gaby” . .. Metro studio publicity chief Howard Strlckltug will visit the homeoffice following a vacation at Hudson Bay, Canada. Closing session of the. U. S. Senate was embellished by Sen. Alex* , ander Wiley (Wis.), a former member of the Senate Crime Investigat- ing Committee, kudosing Allied Artists’ “The Phenix City Story,” and his remarks published in the Congressional Record. From Bob Krauss’ “Night Side” column in the Honolulu Advertiser; “Tats Yoshiyama, manager of the Palace Theatre, is Honolulu’s walk- ing Variety. Started subscribing in 1936. Saved every issue until recently when his wife put her foot down. Closest hle’s ever come to being a performer was a bit part he had in ’Hell’s Half Acre'.” L. A. to N. Y. Jean Bartel John P. Byrne Carol Channing Wayne Clark Ben Cole Alfred E. Daff Laraine Day Don DeFore Howard Dietz — Margaret Ettinger Nina Foch •Benny Goodman SUsan Hayward Herbert Jacoby Nancy Kelly John Kerr Gene Krupa Jerry Lawrence 'Monica Lewis i Roger H. Lewis A1 Lichtman Barry Macollurn Kay Malone Mary Markham Joel McCrea John Miljan Elizabeth Montgomery Charles B. Moss Patti Page Charles M. Reagan Allen Reisner Jack Rose Rosalind Russell Edward M. Saunders Melville Shavelson Alfred Wallenstein David Wayne Martin Werner Richard Whorf Victor Young Harry Zevin Gertrude Astor returns to the screen in C. V. Whitney’s “The Searchers.” N. Y.to L. A. Richard ArmbrUster John Conte Morton DaCosta Bill Doll Caren Doll Sam Fuller Ernest D. Glucksma* Ruth Harris Herman Hoffman Paul Kaufman Aaron Katz Joe Levine Diana Lynn Bordon Mace Philip. Nasta Sy Samuels Vincent Sardi Jr* Milton Stem Helen Tamiris Max Youngstein N. Y. to Europe Cab Calloway . Clara Friedman George Jessel Alan Kayes Howard Letts Manie Sacks Hazel Scott Spyros P, Skouras Marina Svetlova Ben Thau % Richard Todd ' A1 Watters Europe to N. Y. Archie Bleyer Paddy Chayefsky Jose Ferrer John Gutman Arthur Jacobs Buster Keaton Arthur B. Krim Juliana Larson Liberace Ilya Lopert Luba Malina Pamela May Mildred Shagal Jake Wilk