Boxoffice-February.18.1950

UA Supporting COMPO;
Aid to Independents
NEW YORK—A decision by United Artists
to join the framework of COMPO and support
it financially, made during the week, will
have important bearing on the attitude of
independent producers who are to be polled
on the question of ratification by the Society
of Independent Motion Picture Producers
Ass'n because some of them release through
UA.
The company's decision, made public by
Paul N. Lazarus jr.. executive assistant to
President Gradwell Sears, in advance of
SIMPP voting, makes clear just what policy
the company will follow. It suggests a pattern
for other distributors not affiliated with
MPAA which also handle independent product
and serves to clarify the involved situation
in which independents have found
themselves.
Lazarus said UA cannot become a charter
member of COMPO because it is affiliated
with neither MPAA nor SIMPP. but as a
member of the National Distributor committee,
which has approved the COMPO financing
plan, it will become an industry
member.
UA's distributor contribution to COMPO
will be based on its distribution arrangement
with producers. If a contract calls for 30
per cent of a picture's revenue to go to UA
and 70 per cent to the producer. UA will back
COMPO with three per cent, leaving the
producer with the responsibility, if he accepts
it. for paying COMPO seven per cent. The
feeling around UA was that the producer will
not interpose any objection.
As the COMPO financing plan has been
considered by different organizations, a number
of unexpected problems have come to the
surface regarding allotment of contributions.
The statement by Lazarus, in behalf of Sears,
clears up one that has been commented on
by Ellis Arnall. head of SIMPP, and which
concerned producers and distributors not
under the aegis of MPAA. Arnall suggested
the same percentage of division now UA
policy.
UA has still another problem to iron out
regarding its COMPO-financing agreement
with independent producers. Lazarus said, but
he thought it will be far from insurmountable.
It has to do with contracts with banks
supplying "first money," which stipulate that
they be paid off first on their loans to producers.
Lazarus felt that the banks will be
willing to let the COMPO money be deducted
first so there will be no delay in financing
COMPO. He also felt that UA will be willing
to make its proportionate contribution even
though a producer objects to contributing.
Paramount Sets Up Zoning Plan
To Speed Reissue Distribution
NEW YORK—A.
W. Schwalberg. president cer" will be rereleased in the east zone during
of Paramount Distributing Corp.. has developed
what he calls a "bi-zonal " plan to "Wake Island' and "So Proudly We Hail"
March and in the west zone during June.
secure better distribution of reissues. The will be rereleased in the west zone during
country is divided into an east and a west March and the east zone during June.
zone, with separate release dates. This will
give each zone a full supply of prints.
The plan was developed during discussions 13 Lipped Productions
among department executives.
The east zone includes branches in the
In Early Release Dates
eastern and southern divisions headed by HOLLYWOOD — Lippert Productions will
Hugh Owen and the mideastern division release 13 features during the next four
headed by H. H. Goldstein. The branch months, more than double the number ever
cities in this zone are: New York. Albany, Atlanta,
Boston. Buffalo. Charlotte. Jackson-
Since June 1. 1949. marking the beginning
distributed previously in a similar period.
ville. New Haven. New Orleans. Cleveland. of the company's production year. 17 pictures
Cincinnati. Detroit. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh have already been released. The 1949-50
and Washington.
schedule calls for 33 features.
The west zone takes in the central division For the upcoming four-month period beginning
March 1 the films to go into distribu-
headed by J. j. Donohue. the south central
division headed by M. R. "Duke" Clark and tion include:
the western division in charge of George A. "The Baron of Arizona," to be world premiered
in Phoenix March 1, with national
Smith. The exchange cities are: Chicago.
Des Moines. Indianapolis. Milwaukee. Minneapolis.
Omaha. Dallas. Kansas City. Mem-
Agent," March 17; "Hostile Country," March
release set for March 4: "Western Pacific
phis. Oklahoma City. St. Louis, Los Angeles. 24; "Everybody's Dancin'." March 31; "Marshal
of Heldorado." April 7; "Colorado
Denver. Portland. Salt Lake City, San Francisco
and Seattle.
Ranger." April 21; "Operation Haylift." April
The first pictures to be rereleased under 28; "Crooked River." May 5; "Highway
the plan are: "Beau Geste," "Lives of a Bengal
Lancer," "Wake Island" and "So Proudly 19; "None Came Back," May 26; "West of the
Patrol." May 12; "Fast on the Draw," May
We Hail."
Brazos," June 2, and "Hollywood Holiday,"
"Beau Geste" and "Lives of a Bengal Lan-
June 16.
.ecececa > >
^^aa^ed
STROMBOLI (RKO)—Undoubtedly the business
that can be done with this is not so
much dependent upon the merits of the picture
but upon how ticket -buyers react to
the precedentially publicized Bergman-
Rossellini affair and how far the individual
exhibitor chooses to go in exploiting
it. That the screaming, sensational headlines
will spell capacity grosses in first runs
seems inescapable. From then on, the film's
fate probably will be a matter of geography.
As a picture, it's no great shakes. There
are four story and productional ingredients
—the primitive, the emotional, the artistic
and the documentary. None of them is
thoroughly or consistently enough developed
to carry the plot, which is as thin as a
four-bit steak. Bergman's performance is
characteristically excellent, just as good as
her material permits, and the film affords
some interesting sidelights of life on the
rugged island. Roberto Rossellini produced
and directed.
GUNMEN OF ABILENE (Rep)— Rugged
"Rocky" Lane rides, raids and 'restles his
way through another set of stereotyped situations
and adventures—this time for a
gold mine. Rates fair entertainment. Allan
Lane, Eddy Waller, Roy Barcroft, Donna
Hamilton. Directed by Fred C. Brannon.
These reviews will appear in full in
a forthcoming issue of Boxoffice.
Warners Quarterly Income
Rises From 1948 Figure
NEW YORK—Net profit of Warner Bros
Pictures, Inc.. for the three months ending
Nov. 26. 1949. was $3,189,000 after provision
of $2,200,000 for federal income taxes and
$250,000 for contingent liabilities.
For the same period in 1948 the net was
$3,093,000.
The three-month profit for the quarter in
1949 was equivalent to 43 cents per share on
the 7,298,000 shares of common outstanding.
For the same period the previous year it
was 42 cents.
Film rentals, theatre admissions, sales, etc..
after eliminating inter-company transactions,
for the three months ending Nov. 26 totaled
$32,712,000. compared with $33,734,000 for the
corresponding period the previous year.
At a meeting of the directors held Friday
(lOi a dividend of 25 cents per share was declared
on the common payable April 5 to
stockholders of record March 3, 1950.
Nat Holt Will Make Three
For Paramount Release
HOLLYWOOD—Nat Holt, former RKO circuit
executive and later a producer for that
company, has been inked to produce two outdoor
action pictures for Paramount during
the coming year. Holt recently completed a
three-picture commitment whereby his independent
unit — delivered three action dramas
to 20th-Fox "Canadian Pacific." "Fighting
Man of the Plains" and. to be released this
summer, "The Cariboo Trail." Titles of his
pair for Paramount are now being set.
18 BOXOFFICE :: February 18, 1950