Boxoffice-December.20.1952

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Alaska—Cindy
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EWS AND VIEWS OF THE PRQPUCTIOW CEMTER
iHoUvivood Office— Huttc 219 at 6404 HoHytvood lilvd.: Ivan Spear, Western Afanager)
[8 Players Take Off
^For Batile Fronts
I HOLLYWOOD — Bearing with them the
good wishes of assembled civic, government,
charitable, military and Industry leaders. 48
volunteer players and 17 musicians planed out
Mday il9) to spend the Christmas-New
Year's holidays entertaining soldiers stationed
and hospitalized In the Korea. Alaska.
Greenland-Newfoundland and Caribbean
lareas.
The junketing troupers were given a festive
sendoff in luncheon ceremonies at the national
guard armory in Culver City, at which
featured speakers included Col. Raymond F.
Stone, chief of army special .services: Dore
Schary, MGM vice-president and Permanent
Charities Committee campaign chairman.
and James Sauter, president of USO-Camp
ii>2j Shows. Inc., New York. The meeting had
George Murphy, president of the HoUj-wood
Coordinating Committee — which organized
the treks in cooperation with the USO and
army special services—as chairman.
mtifl Itineraries of the units:
Korea—Richard Allan. Paul Douglas. Richard
Morris, Jan Sterling. Frank Saputo.
Lionel Ascher. Carleton Carpenter. Movita,
Carolina Cotton. Peggy King. Walter Pidgeon,
Debbie Reynolds, Keenan Wynn, June
Bruner, Dawn Addams, Roscoe Ates, Lita
jBaron. Rory Calhoun. Virginia Hall. Jean
Peters. Bill Shirley, Jud de Naut. Robin de
Vour. Walt Germain. Larry Roberts.
Garner. Johnny Grant, Tony
lOvello. Sally Mansfield. Beverly Michaels,
Ginny Jackson. Elizabeth Talbot-Martin.
Vicki Bakken, Freddie Browne, Jean Fowler,
Jai 'ane Prazee. Dorothy Gibson, Eddy Samuels,
vette Vickers.
Greenland-Newfoundland—Raymond Burr,
Wanda Curtis, Don Garner, Paul Garteiz, Eve
Halpern, Flo Ann Hedley, Marilyn Hedley,
Jack Iverson. Evelyn Ru.ssell, J. Edmond Burr,
Don Chapman, Ann McCormack, Donna
dts^Roach.
Caribbean—Lois Andrews. Arthur Brunner.
ElTiest Brunner. Betty McNamara. Don Maltese,
las, Jane Sandra Nash. Donna Williams. Pat
iii!*BWilliams. Arthur Anderson. Duke Johnson
Lionel Johnson, Vivian Marshall, Dub
"Cannonball" Taylor.
Bus transportation for more than 1.200 children
to two Christmas entertainment programs
was furnished gratis by MGM. 20th-
Pox. Universal and Warners in cooperation
With the Ass'n of Motion Picture Producers
& and Studio Transportation Drivers Local 399.
sjsisil Youngsters from various settlement houses
and orphanages were guests at a B'nai B'rith
program at the veterans memorial hall in
BOXOFFICE December 27, 1952
Culver City, while other underprivileged children
piirtlclputed in Yuletlde entertainment
at the Hollywood American Legion stadium,
sponsored by Tent 25, Variety Club of Southern
California.
Monday (22i
• • •
was Samuel Ooldwyn day in
Beverly HllLs when dignitaries repre.sentlng
that municipahty. as well as motion picture
Indastry leaders, turned out to honor the
veteran filmmaker upon his 40th anniversary
as a producer. Speakers Included Y. Frank
FYeeman. Paramount vice-president and board
chairman of the Ass'n of Motion Picture
Producers: Irene Dunne, and Paul G. Hoffman.
Goldwyn was presented with a medallion
upon the city's behalf
West: James R. Grainger. Republic vicepresident
in charge of .sales and distribution.
checked in from the east for brief conferences
with President Herbert J. Yates prior to the
latter's departure for New York to spend the
holidays.
• « •
East: William H. Wright. Metro producer,
and Mrs. Wright left for Cincinnati for the
Christmas hoUday.
« • •
East: Francis Winikus. national advertising-publicity-exploitation
director for United
Artists, returned to his Manhattan headquarters
after conferences here with UA producers.
San Mateo Studio Site
Purchased for Drive-In
SAN FRANCISCO — Guy W. Meek of
Atherton. owner of four drive-in theatres in
northern California, has purchased at public
auction the eight acres on Peninsula avenue
in San Mateo, the site of the old Pacific
studios. Meek made the purchase from the
estate of the late Lester Park at a price of
$87,000. Park had started to build a drive-in
there but halted construction after installing
the screen and doing some grading.
Meek now owns drive-in theatres in Palo
Alto, Cotati. San Pablo and Vallejo. It is
not known what Meek intends to do with the
remainder of the property. The studios were
built in the 1920s and housed the Pacific
studios and later the Max Graf studios. It
was taken over by a group to produce the
"Parade of Progress," but the project was
abandoned after a time.
Wilshire Klieg Lights
On for 'Moulin Rouge'
HOLLYWOOI>— Pllmdom's otMervance of
the yuletlde was Interspersed with a da.sh of
klleg-llghted glamor when on Tue.vlay i23»
"Moulin Rouge." the Jose Ferrer starrer directed
in Prance by John Huston for Romulu.s
Films and United Artists relea.se. wa.s worldpremiered
at the Fox WUshlre Theatre The
event was followed by a premiere party at a
Hollywood night club, hosted by Harold
Mlrlsch, G. Ralph Branton and Eliot H>Tnan
—who own U. S. rights to "Rouge. " with
proceeds going to the Damon Runyon cancer
research fund.
The debut went on as scheduled as Federal
Judge William M. Byrne denied the application
filed by George Banyal. representing
the Moulin Rouge restaurant in Paris, seeking
an injunction to restrain the showing
of the picture. The motion was made In
conjunction with a suit charging that the
use of the bistro's name on the picture Is
unauthorized and illegal.
Among the premiere-and-party guests were:
Horry M. Worner, Mervyn LeRoy. Jock L. Worner.
Jesse L. Losky, Eddie Cantor, Chorles Coburn. Joon
Crowford, Edward G. Robinson, Greer Gorjon, George
Burnt end Grocie Allen, HurT\phrey Boflort, Gabriel
Poscol. Joe Postcrnok, Arlcne Dohl, George Sidney,
Jerry Wold, Charles Brockett. Williom A. Wellmon.
Esther Willioms, Milton Sperling. Roy Rogers, Dore
Schory. Sol Lesser, Jeanne Crom, Wiliiom Perlbero.
Donny Koye orvj many others.
Huston and Ferrer likewise were on hand
for the festivities, the director having arrived
Monday (22) from France with the
print of the picture.
•'The Stooge." the Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis
comedy produced by Hal Wallis for Paramount
release, will be given its invitational
press preview Monday at the Academy
Award Theatre with garnishment, including
searchlights, special stunts and bleachers for
the autograph fans.
Chest Drive Near Goal
HOLLYWOOD—Close to an over-the-top
basis, the Permanent Charities committee's
1953 fund-raising campaign total now stands
at SI. 150.900. within breathing distance of the
goal of $1,250,000, it was reported by Dore
Schary, drive chairman. The allocation to
the Los Angeles Community Chest will be
$702,000: similar Chest organizations in Burbank.
Santa Monica and Glendale will receive
$36,700, while $181,700 will go to the
American Red Cross chapters in those cities,
and another $176,000 is earmarked for eight
other major charitable organizations.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's "Take the High
Ground
" will be scored by Dimitri Tiomkln.
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