Variety (June 1957)

Universal, Aloof to Foreign Producing, Sets Deals in Italy and Germany Berlin, Jun§ 4. - There are indications that Uni¬ versal, departing from an old poli¬ cy, may be 'going in for European production. Company some years back did •'Captain Ligrftfoot” on location in Ireland. More recently it shot “Interlude” with June Allyson and Bossano Brazzi in Munich. ’ But, with the exception of these iso¬ lated instances. Universal stood aloof from European production. Now, the company has made two deals. In Italy, William Alland will produce “The Islander” for U, with Richard Wilson scripting and directing. Esther Williams and Jeff Chandler will be starred, with native eamerman and crew to be used. Wilson says the picture will.be done in an almost neo- realist style, a departure for Uni¬ versal. ' Here, in Berlin, U has made a deal to Shoot its “A Time to Live, a Time to Die” at the Arthur Brauner-CCC studios. Picture will roll in August. While Universal in the past has sent location crews abroad, It hasn't done studio work locally. Yank Squawk Ends Austria’s New Tax Vienna, June 4. Another Austrian attempt to tax Imports has fizzled, but not until the Americans—aided by the Brit¬ ish-brought pressure to bear on the Austrian government. Measure to raise the tax on dubbed films by around 12 times; was quietly introduced and seemed to have a good chance of being adopted, when the Motion Picture Export Assn, and the British Film Producers Assn, woke up to the threat and went into action. i The one country that would not have been affected was Germany, whose films' naturally circulate in Austria in the original language .versions. There is an impression around that the Germans, for pure-- ly .selfish reasons, weren’t exactly unsympathetic to the Austrian tax aim. ‘ When the facts become known, MPEA rep Fred Gronich went into action and succeeded in having the measure* withdrawn. BFPA’s Sir Henry French supported the Amer¬ ican moves. United Artists’ First Stockholders Meeting Since 1919 Founding United Artists broke in a New Act yesterday (Tues.)—the com¬ pany’s first' meeting of stockhoteh ers in 38 years (founded 1919)—* and all ingredients made for a cheerful earful for the public owners. Board chairman Robert S. Ben- jamin and president Arthur .B. Krim sketched past, present and hoped-for future affairs of the financing-distributing film com¬ pany, all in favorable pastel shades. The climb has been con- • slstent since they and their part¬ ners took over in 1951. The net . earnings for the first quarter of 1957 showed a 19.2% jump over the corresponding period of.1956, going to 57c per share on the ap¬ proximately 1,000,009 shares out¬ standing in the new frame after 48c a year ago. Further, last year’s gross of $64,771,784 and net of $3,106,000- will both be exceeded in 1957, the investors Were told. And 1958; will be even greater, Krim an-j nounced. ‘ t Meeting took place at New- York’s Rivoli Theatre and was at-' tended by the press along Witte over 100 stockholders, industry ob-; servers and spies from Wall Street* (Continued on pag6 22) Upped Admission Scale , For Tride and Passion’ Advanced 'admission prices down the line of exhibition are indicated as the policy for Stanley Kramer’s production of “Pride and the Pas¬ sion,” United Artists release. Film, which stars Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren, is to open at the Capitol Theatre, New York, among other spots late this month, at upped scales and a re¬ ported jPO-10 - distributor-exhibitor split after houSe expense. Cap’s range will be $1.20 to $2.50, with the latter, to obtain with the entirp house at certain times over weekends and holidays," not Being- limited to the select divan seats. Helprin-Crown To Produce Features For United Artists Morris Helprin, who for years was the late Sir Alexander Korda’s exec officer ii> New York, and Al¬ fred W. Crown have fornied a new company, Barbizon Protractions, to engage in theatrical and television film production. Crown has re¬ signed as vice-president of Allied Artists to join Helprin in the op¬ eration, Helprin being the presi¬ dent -and Crown the exec v.p. Already set are tieups with Unit¬ ed Artists, which will finance and distribute the company’s initial two productions, and with both CBS and NBC, which will finance the making in London of pilots of two half-hour tv series. Barbizon will maintain offices in N, Y. and London with Helprin and Crown Inking turns at shuttling (hack and forth. The two execs said in Gotham the past week they’ve done some longrange blue¬ printing that envisions important- (Continued on page 61) Man-and-Wife Producers Scorn Studios; Currently Seek Manhattan Roofs Residents of Fifth Avenue in New York, particularly penthouse dwellers, are being somewhat startled by calls and even knocks ( on the'door from a persistent lady who wants to know if they’ll make their apartment available for the filming of a sequence for a motion picture. The 4 distaff location seeker is Virginia Stone, one half of a unique man-and-wife production team. Mrs. Stone, whose husband is producer-director-writer Andrew Stone, serves as associate producer, cutter and editor. Except for the thesping and camera work, the Stones perform almost every cre¬ ative. function on nacTj of their films.. . The search for a Fifth Ave. pent- louse. Is in line with the Stones’ current assignment—the produc¬ tion of the first of three films under their new independent contract with Metro which, calls for them, to deliver their quota over an 18- month period. It is also part of a policy and filming technique they have decided upon to film eyery production on location without once stepping into a studio. “We haven’t shot a picture on a lot in the last four years,” Stone said in N.Y. this week. "We feel that the actual location—whether (Continued on page 18) Wilder on Tat Bird’ Hollywood, June 4. Billy Wilder is joining forces with Hecht-Hill-Lancaster to direct '“The Cat Bird Seat” based on James Thurber’s short story, - George Axelrod is busy on screenplay. ’ PAY FOR ITSELF’ HEED DOME-TOLL Showmen Hold Back the Brawn VALUEHMI And So-So Releases Show in Tally; ‘Funny Face No. 3 in Dull May The economics of television has reached the point that if’ confirms the view that home-toll is “inevita¬ ble” Barney Balaban, president of Paramount, told stockholders at the company’s annual meeting yes¬ terday (Tues.). And Paramount, he added, is prepared to play a signifi¬ cant and active role in pay-see via the International Telemeter Corp., in which It holds a 90% interest. This position Is the strongest yet taken by'Paramount relating to the subject of home-toll. While he de¬ voted a considerable portion of his report to the company’s proposed activities in this area, Balaban cau¬ tioned the stockholders not to sell the theatrical market “short.” He stressed that making pictures for theatres will continue a; the com¬ pany’s prime source of income. At the same time, he said “poten¬ tials of television beckon more in¬ vitingly than ever” and the com¬ pany now “can begin to see the evolution from complete reliance on. theatre outlets for our product to a broader, diversified market en¬ compassing both theatres and tele- vision.’’^ r. Three-Path Future Par’s future business, Balaban stressed, will consist of servicing three types of customers—(1) thea¬ tres, (2) sponsored television, and (3) toll tv. He reported that Par was near making a deal for its pre- (Contimied on page 10) Dore Schary May Go United* Artists Dore Schary, former production chief at Metro, may be headed for an association with United Artists. Preliminary talks have taken place looking to ,his taking over production of “Queen of Sheba,” withUA to-finance and distribute. Curious angle is that Edward Small is owner of the property and not long ago announced it would be made by his partner, Arthur Hornblow Jr. Latter said he in¬ tended to film “Sheba” in the Todd-AO process, and also aligned with UA. ; Schary has expressed a desire to produce a picture in Israel vand chances are it could be “Sheba.” May’s Best 10 1. ^Around World” (UA). 2. “Commandments” (Par), 3r “Funny Face-” (Par). 4. “7 Wonders” (Cinerama). 5. “Boy On Dolphin” (20th). 6. “Spirit St. Louis” (WB), 7. “Bachelor Party” (UA). 8. “Designing Woman” (M-G). 9. “Desk Set” (20th). 10. “Could Be Night” (M-G). Pile on The Love, Reek With Chic: So Advises Wald What the screen needs most to¬ day are good love stories with woman appeal, an# actors with charm to appear in them. ° That’s the'“message” which pro¬ ducer Jerry Wald brought to New; York-Monday (3), when he told the press that “pictures have .strayed from the charm and elegance that once made them attractive to women and created matinee ap¬ peal.” “The hand that rocks the cradle also racks the boxoffice,”. opined Wald with the air of the man who has made an important discovery. “I made my mistake with ‘The Harder They Fall.’ It taught me that the girl who takes her boy to the theatres doesn’t want violence. She wants emotion. And from now on, that’s what I’m going to push for.” . * Wald and director Leo McCarey were in Gothfem to plug their lat¬ est, “An Affair to Remember,” with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, which 20th-Fox is financing 5 and releasing. Wald is making “as many as I can” for 20th. The former Columbia produc¬ tion topper deplored Hollywood’s tendency to copycat and create cycles; “There are just too many hitchhikers in Hollywood,” he (Continued bn page 20) K (Variety's survey of how principal product fared at the boxoffice the previous month is not fully national bust based on reports of correpondents in 24 representative key cities over the U. S. and Canada. As such, it usually reflects the strength boxofficewise of kiy product but does not pretend either to be an index of total gross or total earnings of any current picture.) As so often is the case in May, the first batch of warm weekends took a toll "at the boxoffice last month. Add this to vast plethora of unusually routine product out in release, and this did not help this annual headache—the arrival of warm weather. Distribs and houses waited until Memorial Day to bring in the limited number of really big pictures. * This resulted in a fewer-than- usual number of *5ix getting into really hlgh-bracket coin last month, ° Though a 31-day month, only four films topped the $730,000 mark in grosses. After constantly adding to its number of playdates and in¬ creasing the quantity of sock en¬ gagements over the last 45 days/ “Around the World In 80 Days” (UA) became boxoffice champ,in May. The Mike Todd epic grossed $1,290,000 in the key cities cov: ered by Variety and ’was shoved out of No. 1 spot only one week when “Funny Face” (Par) took over. “80 Days” was third in April. “10 Commandments” (Par) was -(Continued on page 61) Taken-From-Iife Kick on at U National Boxoffice Survev Holiday Ups Trade; ‘Corral’ New Champ, *80 Days’ 2d, ‘Face’;3d, ‘Hut’ 4th, ‘IO C’s,’ ‘Wonders’ Next Memorial Day wdfek gave biz a six key cities currently. “Bache- healthy jab in the* aim. for the lor Party” (UA), which has corn- current .session, but total take in pleted many of its bigger first-run most cities covered by Variety was dates, is taking ninth position not as large as anticipated. This “Monkey on My e Back” (UA) largely is because it was no four- rounds^ out the Big 10 list. j day weekend holiday for .many Most of new entries had enough workers, Friday being a regular engagements to make the listings working day for many. Long line this stanza. One other, “The D.l.” of new pix for the most pirt* lived (WB), is, rated fairish in Chi. -up to expectations, or, as in some “Funny Face” (par), now mainly few cases, better than hoped for. - on secondary engagements, or first- . New champion, is “Gunfight at runs in smaller cities, showed up O. K. Corral” (Par), with better Sood hi Detroit and also.L. A. . than $420,000 grossed in some 13 “S hoot-Out at ^Medicine Bend” keys. Pic was uniformly big to (WB) looms trim in Chi. 12 Angry smash, only in Portland, Ore., be- Men” (UA) is rated nice in Balto. ing 'disappointing. But so were “Hellcats of Navy” (Col) is mild most films in that city this week, hi same city. “Around World in 80 Days” (UA), “Designing Woman” (M-G) in first place for weeks, is winding shapes big in both N. Y., where in up second. third session at the N. Y. Music “Face in Crowd” (WB) is taking Hall, and Philly. “Could Be Night,” third money although nbt smash in same company, is rated mild all engagements. “Little Hut” to thin in Chi, L. A. and Philly (M-G) shapes in much the same cu J*e ntl y. . category, hut is a close fourth-place Strange One (Col) shapes winner. “10 Commandments” (Par) in Denver. Same applies to ig finishing fifth , Tiny fretog in irmly Tattered Dress (U) m Toronto. 13 key cities. “Deadly Mantis” (U)» though “Seven Wonders of World” (Cin- “hid & Providence, looks good in erama) is capturing sixth position Detroit. “Kronos” (20th) also is despite the fact it appears In only m „ ___ 10 spots. “Wayward Bus” (20th), F or Whom Bell Tolls (Par) a newcomer, is winding up seventh, (reissue), still good m N. Y., looms being hampered somewhat by big in Toronto. “Oklahoma” (Mag- some moderate playdates. na), also in Toronto, is rated nice. “Desk Set,” -from 20th-Fox also, (Complete Boxoffice Report * on is finishing jigth, though in only]Papes 8 and 9J Hollywood, June 4. , With the grosses of “The Glenn Miller . Story” and “The. Benny Goodman Story” as guideposts, Universal Is embarking on further biographies.’ Studio ^urrehtly is editing three films based on real’ characters ■ and is propping seven - others with indications that still more may be put in work before the end Of the yean Completed biographicals are “Man With a Thousand Faces,” the Lon Chaney story; “Slaughter on 10th Avenue,” based on the career . of former N. Y. Assistant District Attorney William Keating who, launched a socalled crackdown on waterfront rackets, and “Damn (Continued on page 61) Par Masters All Hands To Peddle DeMille Pic In Foreign Markets In a switch from normal, opera¬ tions, Paramount is removing for¬ eign department execs from their usual assignments and putting *them to work fulltime on the sell¬ ing of a single picture. This is ‘The Ten Commandments.” Given the job of head of foreign sales, under worldwide chief Charles Boasberg, is Clay Hake, who takes leave as Australia-New Zealand managing director! „ Detached from all other com¬ pany duties to serve as global divi¬ sional managers on the “Command¬ ments” campaign are Russell W.. Hadley Jr., assistant managing di-. rector in Great Britain; Henri Michaud, assistant managing di¬ rector on the Continent, and A. Stephen Clug, general manager in India. All throe, and other divi¬ sional managers yet to be named, will report to Hake who, in turn, is to report to Boasberg. Thus, in a sense. Par is setting up a separate prganization within Its regular sales organization to concentrate on the Cecil B. De- • Mille production.