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Movicrone Newt, No. 103: Ike ',cc\ MocArthur,
brcakt up oft Italy, NATO notion* ntoal in
PelnR in.stulU'd.
The reopening marked the entry of Notional
Theatres, headed by Charles Skoura.s,
Into the arena of Manhattan theatre operations.
The divorcement of 20th Century-Fox
from lUs theatre-operating .sub.sldlary resulted
in the transfer of the Roxy Theatre Corp.
from the former to the latter.
The pre-premlere activities and the premiere
It-self were alwut as spectacular as the new
type of show.
"Stars and Stripes Forever," the 20th Century-Fox
Technicolor film ba.sed on the life
of John Philip Sou.sa and featurmg many of
his compositions, with Clifton Webb as star,
wai chosen for the openmg attraction. The
combined forces of the 20th-Fox publicity,
advertising and exploitation departments and
the publicity department of the theatre went
to work on the preliminary buildup.
Sunday night (21) Ed Sullivan staged hi.s
"Toast of the Town" television program,
.sponsored by Lincoln-Mercury on CBS, in the
theatre, with Sonja Henie as star, and with
Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, Lilli Palmer,
the U.S. Marine band, and the Roxy
Skating Blades and Belles as added attractions.
It was a national hookup.
Television again was used for the actual
opening on ABC-TV iitatloru< In New York.
Philadelphia. Chicago. Atlanta and Cleveland.
A kinescope recording woa shown In Detroll
and Baltimore later.
MaggI McNcULs described the event generally,
Robert J. L«wU Interviewed arriving
celebrltleH. and Clifton Webb took part In
the lobby activities and the htage ceremonleA.
He accepted a citation from the .Marines In
behalf of 20th-Fox for lln film contrlbutloas
to the Marines The Marine Band wa.s pre' -
ent and played a number of .selectloas.
The new .skating line is made up of 32 Roxy
Blades and Belles under the dlrectlort of Ron
Fletcher, with over-all production in charge
of Arthur Knorr. Featured in the ca.st are
Evelyn Chandler, Jo Barnum, Tony Le Mac
and a company of 80, Including the Roxy
singers, directed by Ray Porter.
About 2,000 Police Athletic League youngsters
were entertained Tuesday afternoon.
Webb met them In the rotunda and gave presents
to each, with Police CommLssloner Monahan
pre: ent. This was broadca.st by WNBC.
The youngsters .saw the show later.
Among the notables who attended were:
the Duke and Duche.ss of WInd.sor, Tallulah
Bankhead, Gardner Cowles. Marlene Dietrich.
Irving Berlin, Gloria Swanson. Bennett Cerf.
Alfred Vanderbilt. Max Gordon, Robert Lehman,
Cole Porter. WInthrop Rockefeller, William
Gaxton, Richard Barthelmess, Frank
Chapman. Constance Collier. Baron N. Di
Guinzburg, Lillian Gish. Herbert B. Swope,
Anita Loos, Serge Obolensky. Cecil Beaton,
Ethel Merman, Ezlo Pinza. Rita Gam, Lily
Pons. Igor Ca.s.«ini.
National Board of Review Selects
'The Quiet Man Best of 7952
NEW YORK—Republic's "The Quiet Man"
has been chosen "best picture of 1952" by the
National Board of Review committee on
exceptional films. "Breaking the Sound Barrier."
British picture distributed by United
Artists, was named the t>est foreign film
shown in the U.S. during 1952.
The nine other American pictures in the
National Board's best ten for 1952 are: "High
Noon" (UAi. "Limelight" lUAi. "Five Fingers"
(20th-Foxi, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro"
(20th-Fox), "The Thief (UAi, "The Bad
and the Beautiful" (MGM). "Singin' in the
Rain" iMGMi. "Above and Beyond" iMGMi
and "My Son John" iParai. Four other foreign
pictures were voted exceptional. They
are: "The Man in the White Suit" iBritish-
U-I), "Forbidden Games" iFrench-Timesi,
"Beauty and the Devil" (FYench-Arlan) and
"Ivory Hunter" iBritish-U-H. Four of the
15 pictures were distributed by United Artists
and three were MGM releases.
David Lean's direction of "Breaking the
Sound Barrier" was voted the best of the
year and Ralph Richardson was named best
actor for his performance in Paramounfs
"Come Back Little Sheba."
The National Board also selected three films
for honorable mention because of "their contribution
to the arts and techniques of the motion
picture." They are: "This Is Cinerama."
for its re-emphasis of the possibilities inherent
in the wide-angle photography and largescreen
projection: "Leonardo da Vinci." for
the methods by which it gave cinematic interest
to the drawings of a great artists, and
"The Four Poster." for its use of animation
to convey background information and time
and space details in a feature fiction film.
The National Board of Review initiated the
practice of picking the ten best pictures of
the year in 1920.
G. E. Executive Predicts
200 TV Stations in '53
NEW YORK—More than 200 television stations
will be in operation by the end of 1953
and these will take TV into remote areas,
states Dr. W. R. G. Baker, vice-president and
general manager of the electronics division
of General EUectric.
Dr. Baker ako predicted 6.500.000 home
television receivers will be produced in 1953
and approximately 7,500,000 home and portable
radio receivers.
BOXOFFICE December 27, 1952 29