Variety (January 1957)

PICTURES 8 Wednesday, January % 1957 Pftm&ri' VIDEO RISES ON PAR’S HORIZON , c> Firstruns No ‘Baby DoB’ Problem; Nabes May Feel Legion Rating Din-to-Dynamic December Paced ByDe MiBe’s 10 Commandments,’ Tender,’ ‘Opposite Sex’ on Top List Proving that no amount , of Church opposition can keep a film put of the firstruns if it has the' r boxoffice potential!, Warner Bros, last week reported bookings in 1,118 cities for its “Baby Doll/* Company said there hadn't been a single cancellation of a negoti¬ ated booking to date. Strand The¬ atre in* Albany, has asked to be released from its contract under local Catholic pressure, but has stated at the same time that, if WB insisted, it’s go ahead with showing of the picture. ! In Indianapolis, “Baby Doll’1 will not play the Esquire Theatre where it was originally booked. I However, a Warner exec said this was a question of terms and that it had been the distributor, not the exhibitor, who had cancelled the booking. Additional 75 working prints are being rushed through to supple¬ ment the 350 prints currently in use, Company said all 425 prints were utilized by theatres over the country in the past week. Pic is current in 18 key spots and re¬ ported. grossing strongly. Observers think the condemna¬ tion of the picture by the Legion of Decency and by Francis Cardi¬ nal Spellman, with its page one "publicity breaks,” stimulated a lot of interest in the film. Question is raised, however, whether the great Catholic opposition will not be felt more strongly once “Baby Doll” hits the neighborhoods. Indie Public Relations Shops in Film Field Form Own Trade Body Hollywood, Jan. I. Formation of an association of Independent public relations firms Is in the works here, qn outgrowth of the move of the Publicists Asso¬ ciation to get collective bargaining agreements with all such firms in¬ volved in the film production field. Approximately a dozen firms have banded together to form the group and formal incorporation is expect¬ ed within a few weeks. Pending formalization of the as¬ sociation, which is yet to be named, the firms involved have made a tentative agreement with Nathanson & Associates, an Industrial re¬ lations firm, to rep the group and handle the details of incorporation. Praisers feel that a single asso¬ ciation will better handle negotia¬ tions than if the individual firms negotiated with the Publicists As¬ sociation separately. There are about 55 firms in the field. Most of the public relations firms are small, one-man operations whose owner-operators are unfa¬ miliar with labor problems and illequipped to handle negotiations. One of the difficulties they face, it was pointed out, is that under the PA setup, the praiser in ques¬ tion would have to join the Asso¬ ciation and pay. full dues and ini¬ tiation fees as a working publicist —and then make double contribu¬ tions to the Health and welfare and pension funds, once as a mem¬ ber of the press agents union and once as an employer of prpfcs agents/ NED DEPINET SUCCEEDING JACK COHN AT PIONEERS Ned Depinet will probably suc¬ ceed the late Jack Cohn, founderpresident of the Motion Picture Pioneers, as prez of this intra-trade benevolent and fraternal organiza¬ tion. Cohn. Harry J. Takiff, Col Piets exec, who has been secretary-treasurer of the Pioneers and the Foundation work attendant thereto, has re¬ signed because of business pressure and a successor, also, will be voted on at the next board meeting Jan. 9, which Marvin Kirsch, vicepresiident, has called. John J. O’Connor, veep^of Universal Pictures, will probably be asked to. accept that post. Vet Publieitt Edward L. Berriays dttaili how to Make * Character 9 On Broadway * * on* of tho many editorial .features in the 51st Anniversary IS umber of PffitlETY OUT NEXT WEEK _ _ * DoB’ a Reject To Joe Kennedy Boston, Jan. 1. “Baby Doll” which opened at the Metropolitan Theatre last night I (31) is sure to be whammed by The ' Pilot, official newspaper of the 1 Archdiocese of Boston. Meanwhile the film was banned by circuit in Maine and New Hampshire Con¬ trolled by Joseph P. Kennedy, father of the U. S. senator from Massachusetts. “We wouldn’t play It if we got it for nothing,” said John Ford, gen¬ eral manager of the Maine and New Hampshire Theatre Co., at its Boston office. “We consider it im¬ moral.” (Kennedy, a prominent Catholic layman, has donated large sums to religious charities and to the church, did not personally view the film.) Ford said that one of his company’s reviewers had caught “Baby Doll” at preview and turned in a “very bad report.” On hearing the report Kennedy ex(Continued on page 13) III NEWSREEL & BACKLOG DIALS Paramount appears set to move In 'h television, to a greater extent than ever in 1957. First step to be taken will be production of a reg¬ ular video newsreel -to replace the theatrical reel which the company intends to abandon. Details anent syndication and the number of issues per week or month have yet to be worked out. But the company has the facilities to make at least two 'different reels weekly. Par also has in mind the produc¬ tion of entertainment tv films, op¬ erating on its Sunset Blvd, lot .which is now being rented to out¬ side telepix makers. This studio has proved, incidentally, a plenty successful economic venture with all stages Almost continuously, in use. Consequently, overhead charges per production unit are at a minimum and ‘Par feels it can undertake production on its own. efficiently. Company hasn’t unloaded its backlog of features to tv as yet but moves in that direction also are expected. Par, though, is now disin¬ clined to dispose of its library on any kind of straight leasing deal, (Continued on page 63) U Rolling Five Features Hollywood, Jan. T. Universal rolled “Pylon” Thurs¬ day (27) as the first of five films to go before the cameras' by the end of January. Two will be in Cine¬ mascope, one of these in color, another will be widescreen color and the others widescreen blackand-white. Following “Pylon” will be “Ma and Pa Kettle at MacDonald’s Farm,” 10th in the series, which will be the first 1957 production for the studio. It will have Mar¬ jorie Main in the femme title role and the studio is seeking a replace¬ ment for Percy Kilbride as Pa Kettle. Others slated are the re¬ make of “My Man Godfrey,” 1 “Monolith” and Outlaw’s Code.” Composer-Conductor Jack Shaindlin reviews the creative musical advantages of the Eastern Front vls-tf-vls Hollywood In a shrewdly analytical piece titled Stay East! Young Man, Stay East ! * * * another bright editorial feature in the 51st Anniversary IS umber of y&RIETY OVT 1SEXT WEEK Bishop ScuDy: Glad About Code Most Rev. William A. Scully, Ordinary of . the Albany See and chairman of the U. S. ^Bishop’s Committee on Motion Pictures, in a statement released at Albany Friday (21) through the National Catholic Welfare Council News Service, expressed gratification that in the revision of the Production Code it had not been “scrapped or changed radically.” Bishop Scully, a former official of the New York archdiocese, said that “The Code has been the first line of defense set up by the movie industry to keep objectionable ma¬ terial from appearing on the enter¬ tainment screen, and generally speaking, it has been most effec¬ tive.” He believed “A radical depar¬ ture from the spirit and letter of (Continued op page 13) (Variety’s survey of how principal product fared at the boxoffice the previous month is not fully national but based on reports of correspondents in 23 representative hey cities over the U. S. and Canada. As such, it usually reflects the strength boxofficeunse of key product but does not pretend either to be an index of total gross or' total earnings of any current picture .) December was an up and down month at the national boxoffice— and that’s per usual. It was slug¬ gish for nearly -three weeks, and then soared to new heights of the year in the final seven days. It was also a transition type of month in that the forepart saw only a few new releases while the final 10 days witnessed a whole array of pictures hitting the market. “10 Commandments” (Par), which, was out in release to any extent only the final week in No¬ vember, forged ahead last month to land first place, with better than $1,030,000 total gross in key cities covered by Variety. It was close¬ ly followed by “Giant” (WB), in second place, which was b.o. champion in November. Despite the fact that “Giant” was* playing almost entirely extended-run dates much of the month, it was No. 1 pic two weeks running, making this film champ for six consecutive weeks. “Seven Wonders of World” (Continued on page 11) Connecticut Hierarchy In One-Voice Condemnation Of 'Doll/ Pins Ad Copy Hartford, Jan. 1. In an unprecedented action, three Catholic prelates of Connec¬ ticut have taken joint action to ban Catholics from viewing “Baby Doll.” Picture opened at the down¬ town Strand Theatre here on Sun¬ day (30). In a statement Thursday (Dec. 27) over their signatures, Archisbop Henry J. O'Brien of Hartford, Bishop J. Shehan of Bridgeport and Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan of Norwich warned Connecticut Cath¬ olics to stay away from the picture. The . three stated that attendance would be committing “a near occa¬ sion of sin.” Action of the prelates is the first combined effort of Connecticut dio¬ cese in such a direction. Previ¬ ously, each diocese has individu¬ ally made known its stand "bn a particular subject. Film rap was the second by Catholic leaders this week. Earlier Harold F. McCall, state president of the Holy Family Lay¬ man’s Retreat League, blasted the billboard advertising for the film, especially during the Christmas season. Claiming to represent 10,000 statewide members of the organi¬ zation, McCall claimed outdoor ad¬ vertising for the film to be in “sor did contras!” to billboards spon¬ sored by commercial firms on the Christmas theme. Said he, “it ap¬ pears to us to be in the worst pos¬ sible taste to foster objectionable advertising in the midst of this holy season.” The three bishops — in their let¬ ter — urge*d Connecticut Catholics to give stricter adherence to rat¬ ings of films by the Catholic Le¬ gion of Decency. The three ex¬ pressed the fear that — in as much as the Motion Picture Code Au¬ thority has granted a seal for “Baby Doll” — henceforth the code may be loosely applied, “if in fact it is sincerely applied at all.” The bishons also called advertis¬ ing for the film, “rankly indecent.” Said the granting of approval for the film indicated a deliberate de(Continued on page 13) OUT NEXT WEEK ! The 51st Anniversary Number Of NEW YORK 34 HOLLYWOOD 28 CHICAGO 11 LONDON, W. C. 2 354 W, 46th St, 6404 Sunset Blvd, 412 N. Michigan Ave, 8 Sfr, Martin's PlacU Trafalgar Square