Variety (November 1957)

5 Wednesday, November 6, 1957 PStfttBF? PICTURES rvirv mm i ixt * t\r n Hazards In TJMbustng’ Are the companies overstressing, attention to their big budgeters and neglecting the In-betweeners, or are the top films suffering precisely because the push is spread too thinly on all releases? Distribution, execs, long concerned with that question, say both things are true, though it depends on the company/ Ultimate determining factor of course is the distrib’f view of the market and the state of his release sked. Some execs v feel that the industry on the overall is too anxious to make a go of the multi-million dollar items which, if they flop, involve painful losses. Thus, time and energy is poured primarily into these top budgeters and the lesser productions are allowed to fend for themselves, supported by the normal exertions at the sales and ad-pub end. Some argue that this possibility logical but unequal distribu¬ tion of efforts costs the industry millions in revenue annually and is apt to grow in importance as more and more independents go into production and release vi.a the majors. Recent Warner Bros, more in releasing ad-pub personnel is cited in support of this theory. One of the reasons given was -that the number of top WB pix didn’t justify such a large staff and that the in-between release didn’t require it. At the opposite end, there are those Who maintain that there can be too much of an effort on all - films. Whereas Metro Is cited as an example of a distributor where'a small picture can get ‘‘lost,” 20th-Fox is put up as a candidate in the “push ’em all” cate¬ gory. While this doesn’t necessarily imply that the big ones ai'e ne¬ glected, it does implay a questonable use in the division of manhours. Every picture is “plugged” intensively, and on some of the release the efforts are consciously wasted, though 20th execs argue that the company is dedicated to the support of every release, regardless of its potential. The opposite attitude is exemplified by the companies that refuse to take on foreign films. They argue that the extra effort re¬ quired to sell an importa, if expended on an important American film, will pay off four or five times, though the manpower used is •precisely the same. Advance Roaring Another British film distributor will venture upon regularized pub¬ licity handouts concerning its prod¬ uct and stars ahead of actual re¬ lease. This is Lion International, sales offshoot of British Lion. Its official, Victor Hoare, is currently In the States. The British company has re¬ tained the New. York public rela¬ tions firm of Solters, O’Rourke and Sabinson to handle the publicity and exploitation of its upcoming productions in the U. S. The J. Arthur Rank Organiza¬ tion, which has established its own American releasing Company, has a full-time bally staff working on its releases. In addition to publicizing current entries, the Rank outfit is also plugging away at future pro¬ ductions and films currently before the cameras in England or on lo¬ cation. Solters, O’Rourke and Sabinson are kicking off their campaign for Lion International with “Our Vir¬ gin Island,” starring American per¬ formers John Cassevetes and Sid¬ ney Poitier. The film, being shot on location in the Virgin Island, is a Countryman production which •Lion International is releasing. Lion International, which han¬ dles the product o£ a number of British producers, prefers to deal with all types of American dis- tribs, both majors and indies. U, Metrotone Reels One After Jan. 1 Merger of the newsgathering fa¬ cilities of Universal newsreel and Hearst_ Metrotone’s News of the Day should be effected soon after the first of the year. It’s learned. Negotiations have been going on steadily, including talks with the unibnsr Plan is to have both Uni¬ versal and Metro continue to put out separate reels for tlie time be¬ ing. However, reels’ content will be largely the same. Purpose of the semi-merger is to out costs since these reels— and all others—are running in the red. Actually, there is only ope more theatrical reel, Fox Movie¬ tone, put out by 20th-Fox. Religious Film Festival Washington,.Nov. 5. The 5th annual Religious Film Festival opens at the Ap- pollo Theatre, in Vienna, this Friday (8). Festival, which is slated to run a week, will offer films on religious themes and affiliated problems. Pictures will be both of a cultural and an en¬ tertainment nature, including the American entry, “Full of Life. France, Sweden, Japan ‘are among other countries en¬ tered. RKO Semi-Banker Of 3 Pix; Playoff Mostly in Europe Hollywood, Nov. 5. RKO is partly financing three in¬ die features, two to he produced by Ben Bogeaus and one by Samuel Fuller. Move is being made pri¬ marily to supply product for dis¬ tribution on the foreign market, with eventual use of the films on television contemplated. On Bogeaus’ two-pic deal, RKO is bankrolling to the tune of $450,- 000 each on the product which will each carry a $600,000 budget. “Typee” is one.of the Bogeaus pix. Fuller will produce “Verboten,” with a $250,000 budget, and on that one RKO is putting Up everything but the completion bond guarantee. Pix will not necessarily he re¬ leased by Universal in this country, although U is releasing other RKO product. RKO will make a release deal later. As for tv’ing the pix, it’s planned to eventually televise them on RKO prexy Thomas O’Neil’s five .channels and sell them to tv. WALLIS REPEATS PRESLEY 20th Must Hold TEnougfi Rope* For Four Months * Hollywood, Nov. 5. Hal Wallis has exercised his con¬ tract rights to preempt the services of Elvis Presley; postponing by at least five months 20th’s "Enough Rope,” which the latter studio had hoped to start this month with Presley. Presley reports to Wallis at Par¬ amount in January, to make either "Rodeo’'’ or “Sing You Sinners,” the latter being the new title on -“A ^ Stone for Danny Fisher.” Scripts on both, have been com¬ pleted,with the main character in “Sinners” having been switched .from a fighter to a singer. + Oct. 31 Board of Loew’s Like This: , Nobody Angry, Skip 2 Dividends - ---'-+ 'OF The road to riches is partly paved with gimmicks. Inexpensive exploitation product, including tlje horroramas and outer-space en¬ tries, have done well during 1957. “Curse of Frankenstein/’ shoe¬ string hudgeter ($270,000) import¬ ed from England, and firmly rapped by the critics, likely will gross over $2,0Q0,D00. This is spec¬ tacular, being well above the amount of coin racked up by many a Hollywood “A” production. “Portland Expose,” which had a certain amount of flash appeal in that it tied in with the headlines about inquiries into the rackets, was put together at a cost of $150,000. The gross in the domes¬ tic market alone will he $600,000. “Attack of the Crab Monsters” and “Not of This Earths were pro¬ duced by Rober Conn an for Allied Artists, each with a slenderized bankroll of $85,000. They were put put as a package by AA and the; domestic gross will he about $800,000. ' Last year Paramount dropped George Pal from its producer ros¬ ter for the . reason the company couldn’t make money with the type of material (“When Worlds Col¬ lide,” etc.) in which he specialized. But aware of the current goings-on at the boxoffice, this same company now has entered a deal with Wil¬ liam Alland to make three science- fiction pictures. And, by way of hitbhing a ride on Sputnik, Par, like other outfits, is reissuing its hack-number sci-fi epics. The public is buying freaks; pic¬ tures about normal people too (Continued on page 16) UA’* 12% Interest United Artists is paying an interest rate of 12% on its $3,500,000 borrowings. Money was advanced by Loew’s, RKO and United Par¬ amount chains. Germany Seen As Source for Kids Filins in U.S. A. Attempt to interest U. S. exhibi¬ tors in a series of children’s films made in Germany will be made by George Margolin, foreign producer representative, who last week re¬ turned to N. Y. from .a 10-week trip to Italy, Germany and France. Margolin reported he had seen a series of the children’s films turned out by Herbert Schonger at his studio near Munich and that he would dub one and import it to test reaction. Schonger outfit, ac¬ cording to Margolin, Is the only one in Europe doing outstanding v/ork in the juvenile field. As for the German industry gen¬ erally, Margolin noted that it was probably the most active and vital in Europe, but that the pictures held little export potential. “It isn’t much different from 1936,” he (Continued on page 10) Although Loew’s newly-expand¬ ed board voted last week to by¬ pass two quarterly dividend pay¬ ments, the effect did not have as serious a consequence as usually occurs when a corporation foregoes a divvy payment. The value of Loew’s shares only dipped a half a point, down from 12 to 11%. The fact that the shares did not drop more sharply is attributed to the advance preparation made by the company for such an eventuality. The action did not catch Wall Street or the company’s stockhold¬ ers completely unaware. Loew’s public relations had planted the negative information. Early Thursday (31), immediately after the previous day’s board meeting, stockholders received let¬ ters informing them that there would he no dividend payments for the first and second quarters of the current fiscal year. Most letters were received before the stock market opened for business. Apparently the board meeting on Wednesday (30), the first since the special stockholders’ meeting at which the board was increased from 13 to 19, was completely do¬ cile. Joseph Tomlinson, the 'Ca¬ nadian industrialist who owns 180,- 000 shares of stock, gave no hint of his next move. Board meeting (Continued on page 19) $4 New Years Eve Scale at Palace For THver Kwai’ Hollywood, Nov. 5. Hollywood hasn’t kept pace with the rising audience intelli¬ gence, according to Anthony Quinn, so filmgoers have turned in increasing numbers to foreign or “arty” films. “When you see a foreign picture and don’t understand the lan¬ guage,” he contended, “you must draw^from your imagination, as you did with silent pictures. But now Hollywood gives its audi¬ ences too much and leaves nothing to the Imagination.” National Boxoffice Survey New Pix Perk Trade; ‘80 Day*’ Champ, ‘Time’ 2d, ‘Ball’ Third, ‘Wonders’ Fourth, ‘Joker’ Fifth Looks like the picture business is climbing closer to legit’s level of admission prices. Columbia’s “Bridge on the River Kwai,” which bows Dec. 18 at the Palace The¬ atre, New York, on a roadshow basis, has posted a scale of up to $4 per ticket for New Year’s Eve. Ten performances are to be given weekly, one each night with three matinees. Afternoon show¬ ings are priced up to $1.50 on Wednesdays and $2.50 Saturdays and Sundays. Sunday through Thursday evenings range up to $2.50 and Fridays, Saturdays and holidays up to $3. Jack Cummings As Some tapering off of the flu scare in some sectors and release of additional strong product is helping first-run film, biz In nu¬ merous key cities covered by Variety currently. Better showing at the wickets is being made in the face of milder weather in many sections. The same as last session, “Around the World In 80 Days” (UA) is again leading the procession at the box- office. The Mike Todd opus is con¬ tinuing on top of the heap despite some sharp competition from some newcomers. One of these, “Time Limit” (UA), is pushing up to great second position. And it may be heard from more in the future. “Operation Mad Ball” (Col) again is finishing in third spot, same as a week ago. “Seven Won¬ ders of World” (Cinerama) is fin¬ ishing fourth. It was fifth last session. “Joker Is Wild” (Pari is landing fifth place as against second last round. “Search for Paradise” (Cine¬ rama) is capturing sixth moneys “Raintree County” (M-G), now out on reserved-seat runs In four keys, is winding up . seventh. “Amazing Colossal Man.” which was favored by highly imaginative bally in some locales, is winding up eighth. “Three Faces of Eve” (20th), fourth last stanza, rounds out the Big Nine currently. “Perri” (BV), “Slaughter on 10th Avenue” (U) and “Story of Esther Costello” (Col) are the runner-up films this session in that sequence. The latter two were higher in ratings last stanza. “Pal Joey” (Col) still shapes as one of the potentially big newcom¬ ers, being smash in Chi, great in N.Y. and socko in L.A. “Les Girls” (M-G), substantiating its great showing (now in 5th week) at N.Y. Music Hall, also teed off in Chi with a smash session. “Pursuit of Graf Spee” (Rank), while modest in Portland, is rated big and standout newcomer in Den¬ ver. “Hunchback of Notre Daine” (AA), another newie, is fine in Frisco but only fair ih Portland. “Jailhouse Rock” (M-G) shapes promising. It is big in Cincy, fine in Frisco and socko in Washington. Pic is only mild in Detroit, “Story of Mankind” (WB) looms mild to slow in most spots where initially playing this round. “10 Commandments” (Par), socko in N.Y., is smash in L.A. where it is topping the first week on mul¬ tiple-run engagements. “Doctor at LargeV (U), shapes fine in Balto and sock in Chi. “My Man God¬ frey,” from same company, is solid in Pitt. “Until They Sail” (M-G) is rated slim in L.A. “Portland Expose” (AA) is rated puny in Minneapolis. “Run of Arrow” (U) looks modest in Buffalo. “Lost Continent”' (Indie), good in Cincy, looms okay in Detroit and Portland. “Black Scorpion” (WB) looms light in Pitt and Frisco. (Complete Boxoffice Reports on Pages 8-9). Indie Via Metro Hollywood, Nov. 5. Discussions are underway be¬ tween Metro and Jack Cummings Productions on financing-releasing deal for indie headed by late Louis . B. Mayer’s nephew. Cummings was Metro ‘producer for some 30 years prior to forming own indie. William Ludwig is veepee of indie. He was producer-writer- exec at Metro for 20 years, believed longest any writer has ever toiled at a major studio. On indie’s agen¬ da is “Paint Your Wagon,” origi¬ nally purchased by Mayer, plus tentatively titled “Will Adams Story,” to be lensed in Japan. K. T. KELLER RESIGNING? He Is Rated Mayer’s Man On Loew’s Board of Directors Hollywood, Nov. 5. * K. T. Keller, a member of the Joseph Tomlinson faction on Loew’s Inc. board of directors, is expected to resign at the: next meeting of the board. Keller, former chairman of the hoard of the Crysler Corp. and longtime friend of the late Louis B. Mayer, was believed to be a Mayer representative on the board. With the death of the former. Met¬ ro production chief, Keller is be¬ lieved to feel that there is no long¬ er any purpose for his serving on the board.