Boxoffice-December.02.1950

BRITISH FEATURE RUNS GAIN
STEADILY IN ART THEATRES
Seven of 19 Films Runs
On Broadway British;
Art Spots in All Keys
NEW YORK—Although J. Arthur Rank's
ambitious plans of a few years back to
bombard the American market with
British-made films gradually petered out,
first run showings of English features have
shown a steady increase in key cities
during the past year. The tendency now,
however, is to try for longer runs in small
art houses.
TWO MORE SHOW BRITISH
During November, two more of Manhattan's
smaller theatres switched over to a
policy of first run British product. They
were the Trans-Lux 52nd Street, which had
been playing revivals and subsequents, which
opened "Prelude to Fame," J. Arthur Rank
production released by Universal-International.
November 9 and has been playing
to crowded houses since, and the Paris Theatre,
built as the Manhattan showcase for
Pathe Cinema's French features, which
opened "Last Holiday." Associated British
feature being released by Stratford Pictures
in the U.S. The latter, too, was praised by
reviewers and is doing good business.
During the second week in October, seven
out of 19 first run films showing in Manhattan
were British made, the highest number
in Broadway history. One of these, "The
Red Shoes," completed its second year of
two-a-day showings at the Bijou Theatre,
a 589-seat house in the Times Square district,
and chalked up a total of 108 weeks,
the longest run for any film. The Eagle Lion
Classics release then moved over to the
Victoria Theatre November 21 for a continuous
performance engagement. At the same
time, another ELC release, "Kind Hearts and
Coronets," completed its 24th week November
29 and is likely to score a half-year run
at the 453-seat Trans-Lux Madison Avenue
Theatre, where "Tight Little Island" played
20 weeks earlier in 1950. A third ELC release.
"The Winslow Boy," recently completed
18 weeks at the 561 -seat Sutton.
'TRIO' PROBABLY INTO '51
On Broadway, "Treasure Island," a Walt
Disney live-action feature produced in England,
completed 10 weeks at the Mayfair on
Broadway October 23 while "State Secret,"
produced by Douglas Fairbanks jr. in England
and released in the U.S. by Columbia,
ran seven weeks at the Victoria, the same
house where "The Third Man," a Korda-
Selznick production, played 25 weeks earlier
in 1950.
The other recent British-made features
in Manhattan were: "Trio," which opened at
the Sutton October 9 and is likely to run
into 1951, if long waiting lines outside the
tiny 57th St. theatre are any indication; "The
Happiest Years of Your Life," a London Films
production, which packed them in at the
Little Carnegie Theatre for eight weeks
and "Madness of the Heart," a J. Arthur
Rank production released by Uni-
Doubled Duty Threatens
Negative Imports
NEW YORK—Import duties on motion
picture negatives will be doubled January
1 if an international conference now going
on in England does not succeed in
reaching new agreements, the office of
the collector of customs here said Tuesday
(26).
The 1930 tariff act rates were reduced
by agreements among a large number of
nations. Recently Mexico abrogated the
agreements, so the rates will return to
those originally set and all nations will
be affected unless the British conference
works out some sort of a compromise.
The increases now set for January 1
are: Exposed but undeveloped negatives,
from one cent to two cents a foot; exposed
developed negatives, one and onehalf
to three cents; exposed developed
positive film, one-half to one cent.
Cuba alone would not have to pay the
doubled increases because of a special
agreement with the U.S., but would have
to pay lesser increases.
versal-International, at the Park Avenue,
which has been playing British pictures almost
exclusively since U-I took over the lease
from Walter Reade several years ago. The
longest run at the Park Avenue was "Hamlet,"
which ran for 66 weeks at two-a-day.
This Rank film opened a continuous run engagement
at the same house November 10.
Several other midtown art theatres have
occasionally played first run British films,
among them the Art, in Greenwich Village,
which played "Pink String and Sealing Wax,"
one of the first of the Pentagon Pictures releases;
the Stanley, which played Pentagon's
"The Lost People"; the Trans-Lux 72nd St.,
which played Pentagon's "Dear Mr. Prohack."
and the Beacon, on Broadway at 73rd St.,
which played double bills of several first run
British pictures released by Eagle Lion last
spring. All of these houses have reverted to
playing second run British films or revivals
of old American pictures.
In its two years and four weeks at the
Bijou, more than 1,079,396 patrons saw
"The Red Shoes," according to the theatre
boxoffice records. At an average admission
price of $1.80, this represents a gross of
$2,000,000 in its single New York engagement.
However, the appeal of this British-made
film about the ballet, was not limited to
New York alone. "Shoes" set a 59-week first
run mark in Chicago and played 43 weeks in
Boston, 47 weeks in Los Angeles. 40 weeks
in Philadelphia and 31 weeks in San Francisco,
all at $2.40 "roadshow" prices. In all
of these cities, the picture later played a
popular-price engagement.
In addition to the British films playing the
first run houses, the week of November 20 saw
12 other British features advertised in the
New York Times as playing in mid-town or
Greenwich Village houses. They included:
"Tight Little Island," "Salt to the Devil,"
"The Winslow Boy" and "The Glass Mountain,"
all ELC releases; "The Astonished
Heart" and "The Rocking Horse Winner,"
U-I releases; "Hatter's Castle," a Paramount
release; "Henry V," UA release which was
playing in four spots; "Daybreak" and "Dear
Mr. Prohack," Pentagon releases, and "Night
Train" and "Thunder Rock," older independent
British product.
U-I, ELC DISTRIBUTE BULK
During 1950, Universal-International and
Eagle Lion (now Eagle Lion Classics) released
the bulk of the new J. Arthur Rank product
in the U.S. Universal-International had
"Adam and Evalyn," "Madness of the Heart,"
"The Rugged O'Riordans," an Australianmade,
and the popular-price release of "Hamlet."
Eagle Lion had "The Gay Lady," "Salt
to the Devil," "The Amazing Mr. Beecham,"
"The Perfect Woman," "Kind Hearts and
Coronets," "The Glass Mountain," "The Winslow
Boy," "The Blue Lamp," "The Golden
Salamander," "Naughty Arlette," "So Long at
the Pair," "Paper Gallows" and "They Were
Not Divided," in addition to "Eye Witness,"
"The Taming of Dorothy" and "White
Heather," produced by other British companies.
Several of these have not yet had
first runs here.
Among the other majors during 1950, Columbia
had only one British film, "State
Secret," to be released in December; Monogram
had "The Silk Noose" and "Mystery at
the Burlesque"; Paramount had "Trio," coproduced
with J. Arthur Rank; RKO had
"Treasure Island," produced by Walt Disney
in England, and United Artists had "If This
Be Sin," Gregory Ratoff production. In addition,
20th Century-Fox released "Night and
the City" and "The Black Rose." produced by
the company abroad; MGM released "Conspirator"
and "The Miniver Story," both produced
by the company in London, and
Warner Bros, released "The Hasty Heart" and
"Stage Fright," both produced in London
studios. The old Film Classics also released
"Good Time Girl" as one of its last pictures—
in May. Only Republic and Lippert failed
to have any British pictures on the 1960
schedule.
NEW DEAL TO BE PROLIFIC
David O. Selznick released two Britishmade
Korda productions, "The Tliird Man"
and "The Fallen Idol," during 1950 and the
residual selling of these two is now being
handled by Eagle Lion Classics.
The deal with J. Arthur Rank recently
made by the newly formed Pentagon Pictures
Corp. will release a flood of old Briti.sh product
to the U.S. screens. Some of these were
originally handled by Prestige Pictures, U-I
subsidiary, since dissolved, but the bulk of the
159 features listed by Pentagon have never
been shown here.
Unfortunately, many of these Pentagon releases
are not suitable for American audiences
and might influence many patrons
against the better British films released by
U-I and ELC.
48 BOXOFHCE December 2, 1950