Variety (June 1957)

I Wednesday, Jme 5, 1957, PlXhlBTt PICTCBES 5 ' Spain-Fnuice Adjust Differences’ And That Speeds ’Common Market’ Madrid, June 4. +• Spain took another step along the path to eventual participation in the European Film Pool by ironing, out coproduction differ¬ ences with France in talks held during the Cannes Festival. The six-month delay in reaching agreement with its northern neigh¬ bor was the reason offered here for Spain’s absence at two initial common film market parleys held earlier this year, although two of¬ ficial Spanish observers were pres¬ ent at the most recent meeting near Milan to note progress being made by France, Germany and Italy. As explained by Jose Goyanes, Madrid producer delegated by Uni- espana to sit in with Spanish Gov¬ ernment officials at the Cannes talks, - the Hispano-French copro¬ duction accord was the link needed to unite alt four Pool nations in a common production entente. The differences between France. ‘ and Spain were minor, limited essentially to the formalities in¬ volved in the official exchange of pesetas to francs. Currency prob¬ lem was not urgent as coproduc¬ tions between the two countries are few and far between. The solution was found at Cannes and, when the four Pool countries meet In Berlin at Festival time, each of the four will have bi-lateral co¬ production pacts with the other three. Goyanes sees “the film Pool as a step-by-step development with (Continued on page 20) ‘Gideon’s Pay’ for €ol John Ford’s Next Feature John Ford next will direct “Gideon’s Day” for Columbia in London, he revealed m N.Y. Mon¬ day (3) on his return from Ireland where he attended the opening of his latest, “The Bising of the Moon," at the Dublin International Film Festival. “Moon" is financed and released by Warner Bros. Ford directed and Elliot Nugent scripted from three Irish short stox'ies. “Moon" has an all-Irish cast, with most of the players comini from Dublin’s Abbey Theatre. Fon said he considered the film “the best I’ve ever done.” The director, who Coasted the same day, was introed to the 'Press by Robert Taplir.ger, the Warner Bros. p.r. veep. MPEA Trying. Direct Confabs With Spain’s film Biz on Distrib By HANK WERBA Madrid, Jurie 4. Motion Picture Export Assn., a t: the request of the Spanish govern¬ ment, took off its diplomatic cuff links to negotiate directly with a local film industry rep lor the first time in many years. After a cycle of talks between MPEA Mediterranean rep Charles Bald¬ win, seconded by Continental top¬ pers David Lewis (Metro) and John Spires (UI) on one side of the table and Spanish distrib chief Joaquin Agusti on the other, negotiating switch did not produce looked-for results. Meeting of local distribs narrow^ ly voted down a tentative Indus- try-to-Industiy plan for settling the 20-month distribution impasse be¬ tween Spain and the MPEA. The distrib vote yesterday was five to (Continued on page 22) Polish Actress Sounds Off After Cannes Fest Paris, June 4. Russo and satellite reps at the recent Cannes Film Festival were friendly and cooperative and fest authorities bent over backwards to avoid any incidents. Czeeho- slavakia- cheerfully yanked “The Good Soldier Schwelk" so as not to offend any Catholic tastes, . But an explosion took place here this week when a press cocktail .was thrown for the visiting Polish delegation. Actress Teresa Izew- ska, who had been most appealing and discreet at Cannes, suddenly blurted out to the assembled press that : the government had to -buy her a dress "and shoes to attend the festival. She admitted, she was bitter and wanted everybody to know why Miss Izewska maintained she lived on $12 a month in Poland and had to borrow money to get to the airport in order to get hack to Warsaw. She declared they could not do anything to her on her re¬ turn for they were proud of her work in the pritewinhing Polish pic, “Kauai" (They Loved Life). She said she were the same dress all through Cannes and at other functions around France and in Paris. Exhibs See Toll As Temptress Of Ficble-Praducers Indications are that the question of home-toll television will widen the schism between exhibition and distribution. So far the major film companies, many of which fa¬ vor the adoption of a pay-as-you- see television system, have re¬ frained from making their views known publicly. Even Paramount with its interest In the Internation¬ al Telemeter Co. has managed -to soft-pedal its "activities in the toll tv field. It’s- no secret that the major film companies have eyed with envy the potential of exhibiting both new and old films via’ pay television. However, until the Gov¬ ernment approves toll tv and until the system is established on a broad basis, the film companies, of necessity, must assume a cautious attitude. Under present circum¬ stances, theatres continue to be the prime customers of the film companies and, at the moment, they cannot afford^a; antagonize this market any^more than Is necessary. s' Any "hint Jbt pro -foil tv senti¬ ment by the film companies is im¬ mediately jumped upon by exhibi¬ tors. Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Assn, of Amer¬ ica, emerged as a target of The¬ atre Owners of America last week when it rapped a decent Johnston statement that “subscription tv could prove helpful to everybody." In a statement addressed to Johnston, TOA said: “The lifelong customers of Ihb companies that you represent have for years stren¬ uously oposed any form of toll tv within the jurisdiction of the FCC. To our knowledge, no one has ad¬ vised us as to how pAy tv “could prove helpful" to the thfeatreown- ers of America." READY 'QUIET AMERICAN' Probably Will Premiere As A Charity. Gala Event Although the picture hasn’t been completed as yet, a charity pre¬ miere has already been set fot the opening of the Joseph Mankiewicz- FigarO production of the “The Quiet American.” The premiere coin Will be earmarked for the Inter¬ national Rescue Committee, headed by Gen. William Donovan, Leo Cheme and Angler Biddle Duke, The fihn winds up today (Wed.) in Rome after several months of shooting in Saigon and other lo¬ cales in Vietnam. It scheduled for release this fall. Mrs. Ronald Tree and Mrs, Rob- j distribution rep of several indies, mittee. - ] . Last week’s discovery by the daily press of the nation that the prospective transfer of the Brook¬ lyn Dodgers to Los Angeles has cable television angles of impor¬ tance (a story published in Variety on April 17) now brings into the open the predicament in the camp of “home toll” proponents as be¬ tween the two possible systems— one, over-the-air; two, over elec¬ tric lines. The dilemma centres on the Fed¬ eral Communications Commission in Washington. Before that body proponents have argued that over- the-air is the only - economically Walter Koppel Now Sees Scant to In ’European Common Market’ Regardless of whether the Brooklyn Dodgers move their base to the Coast or not, the toll-tv rights to their games still are tied up by Matty Fox’s Skiatron-TV, it’s learned. Fox has a signed contract with the Dodgers and also with the Giants, which gives him the exclusive pay-as-you-see rights to their games if and when the clubs • - make their move away from New York. If the Dodgers stay.- in Gotham, and the Federal Com¬ munications Commission final¬ ly authorizes an experimental over-the-air test of toll-video, Skiatron’s Subscriber - Vision will carry the games. : feasible method for pay-see, But a! least two of the companies party to “over-the-air are also actively pushing closed - circuit video— namely Skiatron and Telemeter. . This is true particularly of Ski- atron, whose Matty Fox made the deal with the Brooklyn Dodgers under which the club’s games would be slot-televised if and when it moves to Los Angeles. ’ This angle involves $2,000,000 a y;ar for the Dodgers. Ever since the Variety story was published. Fox has kept him¬ self unavailable for comment* and for a reason. He and His associates feel that, if too much stress is laid on the cable operation, the FCC may well decide that there is no (Continued on page 20) Sam Eckman. Jr. Joins Hamburg, June 4. J The advantages of the “Euro-. i pean Common Market” idea are OpOrffP Schaefer Outfit not as Clearcut for Germany as ixeurge ocnaeier uuuii , they may be for Fpance and Italy . Sam Eckman Jr., longtime headj Walter Koppel head Germany’s of Metro’s operations in the Bii[ish: Re ,, Fjlm studi0 • #plnw| here . Isles, from which post he resigned < a short" time ago, has entered the \ Koppel, who has been m the business end of independent pro- j forefront of those in Europe who , , duction. The association is directly m *He P ast nave called for closer Lwith George J. Schaefer, overall cooperation between various film-’ K ert Kintner head the benefit com- Producing nations, felt that, in the, Eckman has become sales super-j long run, institution of a common visor in the United Kingdom and j mart wouldn’t substantially change Ireland of films produced by j conditions as they affect the Ger- Stanley Kramer, Otto Preminger,J man producers. “We are pretty - j'much free to coproduce and to sell anywhere we want, ahd if-.we have j good pictures, we are successful,”-. • he declared. ; “When you look at the whole i plan realistically, it only becomes I a- question of ‘Macht PoUtilc* ! i power politics » again." ; Where > Koppel, partner with } Gyula Trebitsch in the Real Film ' outfit, has apparently changed in his view is that, today, he is willing to defend a reasonably free mar¬ ket in return for American sup¬ port for a new “Groschen Plan,” Stanley Warner, via financier which he has discussed with the David Baird, is s§en figuring prom- j German Government. The plan, inently in Matty Fox’s dealings j involving five phennige being ., u J added to admisli tickets, would with the Dodgers and tI ] e ^ iants j serve to help subsidize German’ whom he has guaranteed $2,000.- \ production. 000 a year for the toll-tv rights to j “Actually," held Koppel, “the the games, should the clubs move ; fund would do no more than bai- to the West Coast. ! ?” ce °“ l * he Ei ' ua ‘‘ < ? n created by , , . . . ... the very heavy taxation of our m- Baird- is closely associated with : COl * _ , ^ . - . . » i (Continued on page 62j Fox.in a number of ventures. He si _ : _ also a key figure in the S-W setun. t Ifs suggested that_ all, or at least j ^ Henry Fonda and others. 1 Is There a S-W In Matty Fox’s Toll- FAUGHT CHIDES WOMEN FOR RAP AT HOME-TOLL “The competition of the market place, especially where it can be protected from exploitation by gov¬ ernment regulation, is a far better protector of the public interest than proscriptive laws which for¬ bid enterprisers from offering new services to the public." Thus, last week, argued Millard C. (Tex) Faught, p.r. counsellor for the Zenith Corp., in a letter to Mrs. Samuel J. McCartney, chair¬ man of the communications depart¬ ment of the General Federation of Women's Clubs. - His letter had reference to resolution offered this week at the Federation’s annual meeting, at Asheville, N. C.“, in which the Fed¬ eration was asked to take a strong stand against home-toll tv. The resolution urges “enactment of leg¬ islation by the Congress which wilt declare unlawful the transmission of tv programs in any manner which prevents home reception free of charge.” Argued Faught: “How would the Federation members feel today if, 20 years ago, they had approved a resolution opposing all experimen- (ttontinued on page 22) Mendelssohn Biopic Hollywood, June 4. Orion Pictures, British: pic firm headed by Jim Berger and David Henley, is seeking American leads for “Beyond Desire," biopic of Felix Mendelssohn, toi be lensed in England and Germany in late 1957, Film is based on novel by Pierre LaMure, who penned “Moulin Rouge." Henri R, Heller, London agent, is here on a easting trip for pic. some of the coin, which Fox has ready put up as a guarantee to the ball clubs w f as provided by the bi; circuit, which has gone strong for diversification. Fok: is tied directly to S-W via his deal with the Latex Corp., a S-W subsid, on tv spots. S-W has been reported negotia- Ing with Technicolor for, the pos¬ sible purchase of Cinerama by the color lab, in a diversification move on its* own. It’s'not inconceivable that S-W in turn may grab a stake in toll-tv via Fox’s Skiatron-tv. S-W prexy S. H. Fabian has long been interested in pay-as-you-see, and at one time considered invest¬ ing in Skiatron. The S-W association with Fox and Skiatron wouldn’t necessarily be ended even if the ball clubs de¬ cided to stay in Gotham. In that case, the next move would be Fed¬ eral Communications Commission authorization of experimental over- the-air tests of Skiatron’s Subscrib¬ er-Vision and other systems in! New York, Chicago and the Coast. SPRUCE UP FLAGSHIP Par, N. Y. To Close Briefly For Overhaul. Paramount . T h e a t re. Times Square first-run, is to undergo a refurbishing job next month.. House has booked “Band of An¬ gels," Warner entry starring Clark Gable and Yvonne De Carlo, for July 17 and will bg closed a few days prior to this for modernizing. Elaborate premiere of “Angels" is planned. So Talent Shuns Than, Says Charley. Enf eld Foreign film festivals have them¬ selves to blame if American stars refuse to attend, Charles Einfeld, 20th-Fox ad-pub v.p., said In N. Y. this week. He added that-the festivals re¬ fused to cater to the personal needs of the stars when they do agree to come, and that they gen¬ erally lacked the proper organiza-' tion to make the most of the per¬ sonalities. Einfeld’s remarks came in the wake of the Cannes fest, which ' was notable via the absence of American names, with the excep¬ tion of Henry Fonda and Don Murray, both of whom put ixy brief appearances. Fonda left in a huff. Fully agreeing with Einfeld’s contention, other ad-pub execs opined that the fault was partly with the American companies. “It w-e send over stars to festivals, w*e should send along men who know how to handle them properly," said one. “The way it w-orks out now, a star goes to one of those festivals and then is pretty much on his own. No one goes out of their way to make the visit a pleasant one, or to see to it that it - doesn’t just become a rat race. Personally, I don’t blame stars for being hesitant to go to those affairs." ■Hollywood, June 4. New Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences reelected George Sea¬ ton prexy of the Academy at the first meeting this week. Only new officer selected is Valentine Davies, assistant secretary. Returned to their posts w'ere vee- pees Samuel G. Engel and Fred L. MI trier; Hal Ellas, secretary; John O. Aalberg, treasurer, and Jacob H, Karp* assistant treasurer. Rank Trying Openings Away From Manhattan Rank Film Distributors’ “A Town Called Alice" will have its U. S. preem in Los Angeles, accord¬ ing to Kenneth Hargreaves, prez of the Rank distribution outfit. Hargreaves said that his com¬ pany would experiment with out-of¬ town openings cn a number of tha Rank films. First Bank release, “Reach for the Sky,” opened at the Sutton Theatre, N. Y., at the beginning of May. Picture had a disappointing run. While it’s argued that good New York reviews on a picture art invaluable in'selling that film out- of-town, some also hold that it’s at ' times wiser not to take a risk with the Manhattan critics.