Variety (December 1958)

4 HCTOUSS 'W«dite§day, December 3, 195ft Of Bose Wbo Fancy Selves Talented, Aptitude Tests Show37% 'Just Amt’ In a small, cluttered little office in the heart of Broadway, a ftlej cabinet is crammed full with dashed hopes and joyous expecta¬ tions, In this age of mechanization, a way has finally been found to re¬ duce the scope of talent to a couple of typewritten pages that say either ■“yes” or “no” with the ir¬ refutable logic bom of “scientific testing.” The office belongs to The Bureau j of Artistic Aptitude Testing, which 1 is headed by Ted Adair, a former show biz \\Tmderidnd who started dancing at the age of two and pro¬ gressed up the step ladder of kid acts, revues, carnivals and vaude to appear in niteries, films and on tv, ending up as a choreographer for some top tv programs. The idea of talent testing came to him back in 1947„ when he was ^ ill and had to spend considerable time on his back. “It used to make me sick, watching all those kids; come into New York, some of them ■without any "talent at all and justi drawn by the ^mor of Broadway, or by the promise of some fake talent outfit that ■‘tested*^ them, found them brimful of ability and sent them off in the-■wild blue yonder. I began to think what could be done to give these young¬ sters, and others too, some reliable guidance.” Adair began testing batteries or psychological performance tests and consult^ w-tb various psycho- lo^cal testing services. He startea with private referrals from schools, etc. and didn’t actually elicit cus¬ tomers until a year ago. During the prior five years he kept check¬ ing and re-checking his questions to come up with the right kind of tests. Tested to Date “We’ve tested 1,200 people so far,” he related recently. “That’s our validity point. V.'e’re the first and only service that tells people, honestly, what their real aptitudes are, in which direction they should proceed, etc. We find out their motivations, drives, v^hy tney think they’re talented, v/hat made them think they had a future in show- business, to what extent they can take direction and have the capa¬ bility of study, and so on.” Inhibition, said Adair, isn’t the stumbling block most people sus¬ pect. “We’ve foimd quite a lot of inhibited people who actually find release in being on tbs stage,” he said. “Once they’re up there, they lose themselves 'completely.” Evaluations are on both the psy¬ chological and the performance level “Quite a lot of people are suspicious of us,” Adair said frankly. “They come in and the first question is ‘What’s tlie gm- mick? What school are you tied up with?’ Of course, we aren’t tied up with any school. We’re simply running a service.” Based on his statistics so far, 379c of all people who’ve come into his office think they’ve got talent, but do not. Keeping in mind that he tests for all fields, not only in the acting profession, Adair esti¬ mated that 43% had enough abil¬ ity to warrant further study, and about half of these had sufficient talent to earn a living from their chosen profession. “Sometimes we discover hidden talents through the tests,” Adair related. “An elderly lady came in to us. She ■w'anted to write. We found that her real ability was in art, painting to be exact. She took our advice and has been quite successful at it.” Ke pointed to the wall opposite his desk, to a large, amateurish painting. “She was so grateful to us, she came in and presented us with one of her W'orks,” he said. Talent vs. ‘Warmth’ The talent people in show biz tend to take the results of his tests ■with a grain of salt, Adair admitted. “But,” he added, “you’ve got to remember that films aren’t really overly inte^^ted in talent. They are more concerned with a warm personality and good looks. We find the theatre and television a lot more honest." Bureau of Aptitude Testing em¬ ploys four psychologi^ Procedure is the following: Client first gets an interview, which also helps Adair .screen- out crackpots and establish whether the talent is “serious.” There follow's a four to five hours objective and subjective psychological test, and a simple I.Q. test (that’s more impoitani for writers and directors). This in turn is followed by a per¬ formance test involving reading, improvisation, rhythm, test for pitch, etc. “Sometimes we get per¬ formers coming in here who feel they aren’t progressing, and -they’d like to find oht why,” Adair ex¬ plained. Average age of those who plunk down their $75 for the test is 20 to 30. The Bureau doesn’t test kids under 10. Do all the dients take the Bureau’s advice? ’‘Most of the time," said Adair. “Of course, there’s always the boy or the. girl who wem’t give up. We had S: dancer in here once. The test; showed she didn’t have enough talent to make a career of it, but she kept plugging anyway. She’s now in the chorus line of one of the nightdubs.” He shrugged re¬ signedly. ' V “We can only test talent h«?e," he said. “We can’t anticipate the lucl^ breaks.” Filin'Snedis’As Sunday Salvagfir Vs. Television Minneapolis, Dec. 2. With television continuing to make inroads on business Sunday nights, •which before video used to be one of the week’s best, “sneak ime-vu6s” on the Sabbath evening is being resorted to here for the first time in an evident ef¬ fort to bolster the boxofflce. The State, the leading local loop Minnesota Amusement Co. (United Paramount), experiment¬ ally introduced what’s hoped will be a business builder last Sunday night (23). It “sneak pre-vued” a. major picture along with its xegur. lar attraction, “In War and Peace." This is a single feature town. “Sneak prevuing” consists of ad¬ vertising and offering a second im¬ portant ^cture for a single even¬ ing showing along with the regular. top attraction, but without an¬ nouncing the name of the added film. Previously, it has been con¬ fined to occasional Friday nl^ts. It’s expected that the Simday night “sneak prevuing” will be only oc¬ casional, too. Joseph Friedman, Paramount ex¬ ploitation chief, calling on circuit execs around the country, to dis¬ cuss the promotion for “The Buc¬ caneer.” Turkey Day and the long holiday weekend are proving a real exhibi¬ tors feast in current session. Only minor drawback was that in several key cities, such as Pittsburgh, Bos¬ ton and Buafflo, heavy snows and cold weather nipped soaring trade.: Even in some these the strong fare was able to overcome this handicap. N^w champ at the wickets is; “Mardi Gras” (20th) which was fourth a week ago. “Houseboat”- (Par), first last round, is winding; up a strong second. “Home After Dark” (WB) is coming from far back in the pack to, cop third" : money. “South Seas Adventure” ((Cine¬ rama) will finish fourth. It was fifth last round. “Tunnel of Love”; (M-G), second a week ago, will cap-; ture fifth position. “South Pacific”; (Magna) is winding up sixth as; compared with third last session. “Windjammer” (NT), which was ninth last stanza, is taking seventh place. “Gigi” (M-G), long high on the list, is landing in eighth spot. “Last Hurrah” (CoU, eightii last week, rounds out the Big Nine this farme. “Party Girl” (M-G) and “Old Man and Sea” (WB) are the nmner- up pix, neither showing marked strength. “Anna Lucasta” (UA) looms as New York to L« A Munri Barber' Buddy Basch Marge & Gower Champion Henry Denker Oscar Katz Leo Lax Mervyn LeRoy . William MacQuitty Paul Muni Maureen O’Hara David Niven ' James E. Perkins Lee Sherman Gene Tierney L. A- to N. K. Leonard Anderson Patricia Barry Philip Barry Jr, Barbara Bel (^eddes Jim Boles Shirley Bootii Gilmor Brown Billie-Burke Sdney CJarroll Ilka Chase Alexander H. Cohen Harold Cook Ann Cofio Vic Damone James Dobson Paul Douglas Anthony Franciosa Y. Frank Freeman Henry Ginsberg Leonard H. Goldenson Leo A. Handel Sobert Horton •Victor Joiy Anatole Litvak Howard Meighan Mac. McClain . Tony Randall Joe Rines Franchot Tone Don Weis Keer n Wynn Europe to U. S. Mrs. Barney Ba^ban Joseph P. Blnns James Cagney Leo CariUo Jeanne Crain Vera Ellen Conrad N. Hilton Pierre Huss Dick Joseph Richard Kom Harold Lloyd . Leonard Lyons Nicole Maurey Lauritz Melchior Spyros P. Skouras Horace Sutton Art Van Horn Earl Wilson Cohir'* V^right U. S. to Europe Americo Aboaf Anthony Asquith Maurice Chevalier Richard Davis Charles P. Heidt Jerome Hines Arthur Laurents Laurence Olivier Susan Oliver Milton R. ^Uckmil Adolph Schimel Karl de Vogt Cornel Wilde one of the more, promising new en¬ tries. It is g^eat la Chi and smash in L.A. “Geisha Boy”"(Par), also new, shapes big in CM. “Rockets Galore” (Rank), also a fresh en¬ trant, looms lofty in Boston. “I Want To Live” (UA), another ne-w- comer, shapes socko in C!hi, mighty in L.A. and great in N.Y, “Reluctant Debutante” (M-G) Is okay in WasMngton. “Around World in 30 Days” (UA), smash in Chi, is great in luA. “Man of West” (UA), fair in- Minneapolis, looks okay in Frisco,; “Dr. Laurent” (T-D looms gdod in • Washington. , “In Love and War” (20th> shapes' fine in Philly. “Bell, Book and Can¬ dle” (Col) still is stout in L.A. “Me: and Colonel” (Col) is good in Balto' and. tidy in Oipaha. “Night Heaven Fell” (Kings) looks socko in Minneapolis. “Big Country” (UA), is rated big in both K.A. and Toronto. ‘“My Uncle, Mr. Hulot” (Cont), smash in N. looms torrid in Bos¬ ton. “The Blob” (Par) shapes slow in Toronto. ' “White Wilderness” (BV>, good in Balto, is rated fast in St. Louis and okay in Pitt, “Tarawa .Beach¬ head” (Col) looks nice in Chi and fair in Philly. '■(Complete Boxoffiee Grosses on Pages 8-9) i National Boxoffiee Survey Holiday Booms Biz; ‘Mardi Gras’ No. 1, ‘Houseboat’ 2d, ‘Dark’ 3d, ‘So. Seas’ 4th, ‘Tunnel’ Sth :: New York Sound Track ■“Sloh, ■Son of Blob” is sequel title suggested by -Cly^e . Gilaa e ur , Toronto Tel^am film critic, after seeing “Blob.” Whatever happened to that brief, defiant “bump” Susam Hayward did in “I Want to Live?” It was in the version passed by the N.Y. censor, but isn’t in the one showing on Broadway. Bob Hope at the -Motion Picture Pioneers dinnen It’s been a tough season on tv. Even Bishop Sheen has been off the air, and look at the sponsor he had! I understand though he’s coming back in a series called “The Sheriff of Vatican Chty.” , . , Britain’s Kemsetfc More eventually plans to give up acting for directing. Tiliie (Mrs. Barney) Balaban back in New York this week after an extended stay in Europe ... “Nine Lives,” said to be the first, Nor¬ wegian picture to be released in this country (Louis deBoriiemont has the rights), has been booked for the Guild Theatre in Rockefeller •Center. (tolumbla hopes that lightning strikes twice. Roger Vadim, once mar¬ ried to Brigitte Bardot and regarded as the “Svengali” who discovered ; her and made her the.world-wide sex symbol, will direct a screen test €Ef his second wife, Danish model Annette Btroyberg, ior the lone fem* ■me role in Carl Foreman’s “Guns of Navarone,” which Col win re¬ lease , . . ‘The Three Bamboos,” a novel published by Macmiflan 16 years ago, is arousing Hollywood kiterest. Written -by Rabert titandlrb whose “Elephant Walk” was filmed by Paramount, “The. Tbtnee Bam¬ boos” is a story of the rise of modem Japan . . . Ernie Emerling, Loew’s Theatres pab-ad cMef, in Cincinnati to address the Independent Iheatre Owners of Ohio and Indiana ^ . . John HiHdrlng, tormerly president, named chairman of the hoard of General Aniline A Film Corp. Philip M. Dinkins, Who has been v.p.-general manager of the company’s dyestuff and chemical division, was elected president Walter Slenk says he will never live in Hollywood although he spends six -months a year there/for tv and filra assignments. ’"ThCTe’s a dearth of culture out there,” he said- “In fact, the only time anyone seems to have an art exhibit hi Hollywood is when they can come up with enough money to rent some kleig lights.” . . . Anthony Aaqulih. who directed "The Doctor’s Dilemma” for Metro, returned to England after a brief Gotham visit ^ -, Seventh annual convention of the Texas Drive-In Theatres Assn, will be held Feb. 16-18 at the Adolphus Ho¬ tel In Dallas. For the second ^ar TelePrompter handled the closed-circuit ar¬ rangements for the recent Parke-Bemet art auction. Among show bizites at the event were Greer Garson, Loretta Young, Rise Stevens. Lucy Monroe and Robert W. Dowlinc . . . Hngh E. Gage named v.p. of Wilding Picture Productions, Chicago outfit spedalizing in bud- ness films and industrial shows. He’ll headquarter in N.Y, Imd will be in charge of the eastern sales division .. . Norbert Anerbach, CcQum- bia International’s Continental sales manager, and Erich Muell^. managing director for Germany, in New York for- conferences with prexy Lacy Kastner and other executives. Laurence Harvey, co-star of touring Old Vic, talked mi^ty tandidly to Toronto newspapermen while there last week. He -called the men who ran British film industry “a bunch of idiots,” He could think of only three topnotch directors; David Lean, Anthony Asquith and Carol Reed — “although Carol has slipped a bit lately." He hated Renato Caatellanfs direction in the film "Romeo and Juliet,” in which Harvey co-starred, because the text was “distorted” and Castellanl made him “sound like a violin by forbidding to use bass register at afl.” Arthur L. M*yer teUs about the importer who discovered i^on re¬ ceipt of his foreign picture that two middle reels Were missing. He decided to show it anyway and both press and public made with the cheers. As a matter of fact one critic noted “the foreign flair for sig¬ nificant omission,” According to a recent Radio Moscow broadcast, the new Soviet se-ven- year program calls for the building, of 14)00 new pic houses in Rus¬ sia .. . Same plan also would equip Russian pic studios to enable them to produce 1,160 (type tmspeedfied) films per year. Rome producer Count Pecei-Bloiut at the St Regis until mid-De¬ cember to study Yank co-production deal as well as American thespe for a Robert Wyler pic property he’s just optioned entitled “Ah Amer¬ ican in Rome.” , , , Pic would he made in Rome in color next spring- summer, with a mixed Yank-Italian. cast The “boxoffiee” at the New York Stock Exchange is just fine. At- tenxiance at the visitor’s gallery passed the 5,000 .mark last Thursday (27) for a new record . . . Harold Robbins figures on -earning up to $200,000 on his indie production of “Never Jjove a Stranger." Gotham playoff alone will pay off the bank notes . . . Harold Rand in a whim¬ sical mood, offering green stamps to editors who accept his publicity blurbs for Buena Vista product . . . Dino DeLanrehtiis would have liked to have a Paramoimt horaeoffice exec at the premiere in Naples of “Tempest” (in wMch Par has a heavy stake) but no one could make it. Fredric March’s complete career is itemized in the Dec. issue of Films in Review, 61 feature films from 1929 to 1956 being cataloged by Romano T«bL Actor Ralph Bellamy was so green when .he applied for his first stage job in Chicago, he asked if any “ingenue” parts were available. So. he told Joan Hananer, Toronto Star. Balaban Katz circuit in CMcago bought into the legit advertiring columns over the weekend to blurb the “Bolshoi Ballet” pic booked for a single day at two of its outlying houses at upped prices. Chain logically figured that was the place .to solicit longhairs, especially for a one-day showing. * Actor-stager Don Costello writes In to tell about a crowded (and diverrified) sch^ulc. Just done a tv pilot, had bit parts in a couple of N.Y.-made features and a tv series, designed a couple of nitery turns, wrote .a play, composed 16 (count ’em) pop tunes and posed for a couple of album covers. Original idea to have Scot actrar Jimmy Logan in role of late Jack Buchanan in film biog was put to Herbert Wilcox by Ctordon Irving, Now Auld Lang Syne sheets are making headlines of the suggestion as brand-new. When t he W riters Gnild of America-West execs' were east recently to huddle with the WGA-East on a national policy x>ertaining to screen and vidpix credits, it wound up with »an informal engagement party for the writers’ attorney, Richard Jablow, and Judy Fink, metroi>oli- tan golting champ and associate editor of the new mag, Golf. £rik Bamoraw, prez of WGA-E and also the national chairmup of the. Writ¬ ers.’ Rdmnnd Hartmann, pres of the Coast branchy Ken Eagiiind, prez of the film branch of WGA-W, Leontfd Freeman, v.p. of the tv branch, Mdville Nimmer, Coast attorney for the writers, and the two execu¬ tive secretaries (Evelyn Borkey, N.Y., and Michael Fraafcfin, Holly¬ wood) were part of the celebrants. Coast writer execs spoofed certain words that certain Hollywood writers have gone in for, of late, ^ch. as euchred, didj^omy^ tletni^ advocate. -One Australian writer threw everybody- ::^th Tairnliinkuin,” meaning par for the course; and Leonard Spicgelgass and Hez4>eii. Baker were sure to ilghtai any serioros discussion, when It reached an (Continued on page 10)