Boxoffice-January.17.1953

—
Sol Lesser Launches
3-Dimension Concern
HOLLYWOOD—Momentum behind
threedimension
gathered additional speed with the
disclosure by Sol Lesser that he has formed
a California corporation, Stereocinema, in
association with Mike Rosenberg, president of
Principal Theatres, and William Porman, who
heads the Pacific Drive-Ins chain.
The new company will produce and sponsor
the production of 12 programs of three-dimension
features and shorts annually, and
will franchise approximately 600 theatres
throughout the world to exhibit the films.
Stereocinema will produce under a contract
with the Stereo-Cine studios, using the
Iatter"s three-dimension photographic equipment
as developed by Raphael Wolff, Hollywood
industrial and advertising-film executive.
Lesser has a 50 per cent interest in
this company.
WSB Okays Retroactive
Wage Boost for Extras
HOLLYWOOD—New collective bargaining
contracts between the Screen Extras and the
Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers
and the Independent Motion Picture
Producers Ass'n, as well as unaffiliated picture-makers,
have been okayed by the wage
stabilization board in Washington.
Wage increases provided for in the pacts
will be paid retroactively to April 14. The
WSB previously approved a similar contract
between the SEG and the major producers
under which the extras collected between
$750,000 and $1,000,000 in retroactive pay.
Under the pacts, the daily rate for extras is
upped from $15.56 to $18.50.
Engineers Meet Tuesday
HOLLYWOOD—First 1953 meeting of the
Pacific coast section of the Society of Motion
Picture and Television Engineers will be held
Tuesday (20) at the Pilmcraft TV Theatre.
To be discussed are Eidophor, 20th Century-
Fox's color theatre TV system; a new spot
brightness meter, and demonstration films
in the new Eastman color process.
Form Shamrock Company
HOLLYWOOD—Shamrock Productions has
been formed by Al Zimbalist and scenarist
Maurice Geraghty. Headquartering at the
Samuel Goldwyn studios, the new company
plans a late-February start on its first film,
"Miss Robin Hood," which Geraghty will
script and direct.
Awards Ceremony
In Pantages Mar. 19
Hollywood—For the fourth consecutive
year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences' annual awards presentation
will be made from the stage of the
RKO Pantages Theatre here.
The date,
as disclosed by Charles Brackett, Academy
president, will be March 19.
A list of films eligible for Oscars and
ballots for nominations will be mailed out
Thursday (15). Nomination ballots must
be returned by Saturday (24). and the
nominees will be announced February 10.
Final awards ballots will be mailed out
February 24, with polls to close March 10.
WITH
a special house committee,
headed by Congressman E. C.
Gathings, and some state legislative
organizations becoming considerably exercised
over the constantly increasing dl.stribution
and sale of pornographic and salacious literature,
in maigazine and pocket-book form,
thrown into sharp new focus is a statement
issued at year's end by Y. Prank Freeman,
chairman of the board of directors of the
Ass'n of Motion Picture Producers.
Freeman declared that association members
are concerned over the appearance, in recent
months, of photographs of film starlets in
"salacious postures" and with "undue and
indecent breast exposture," and said it was his
organization's desire to "make known the fact
that we have no control over such photo
ads." They do not emanate, he emphasized,
from major studios or responsible producers
but were put out by "high-pressui'e personal
publicity agents descending to the lowest
levels of bad taste to attract attention and
to exploit girls seeking motion picture
careers."
Making reference to the industry's system
of self-regulation through its production and
advertising codes, Freeman said the AMPP
and its members "condemn" and "deplore" the
advertisements as being harmful to the industry
and a disservice to the individuals involved.
Further, he blasted the "irresponsible
publicity agents who induce the individuals
to pay them for this sort of publicity."
In view of past performances, and the wellestabli.shed
propensity of lawTnakers toward
using the motion picture industry as a
whipping-boy, the film trade possibly may
consider itself fortunate that the current
manifestations of legislative wrath are aimed
at publishers, rather than producers.
But it seems a reasonably safe prediction
that the cleanup lads will quickly get around
to filmdom if it continues to be as vulnerable
as the Pi-eeman manifesto holds.
While Freeman's declaration bravely
sounds a highly necessary warning bell, it is
subject to argument on a few points, and is in
many ways indicative of the view-with-alarmbut-do-nothing-about-it
policy which has long
been the weakness of the producers' organization
and those lushly maintained sub groups
whose ostensible functions are to safeguard
and improve the over-all public relations of
Cinemania.
Obviously the association prexy could name
no names. Nonetheless, Hollywood railbirds
didn't have to work their crystal balls overtime
to venture a guess that his reference to
"high-pressure personal publicity agents" included
one Russell Birdwell and the carnivalof-cleavage
campaign which the erstwhile
Behemoth of Blurb devoted to building the
career of his newcomer client, Roberta
Haynes. Roving Russell was rather roundly
criticized for that one, and justified his daring
methods with a bromidic explanation that
"we are in show business, not running a
mortuary."
It is interesting to observe, significantly,
that shortly thereafter Miss Haynes, up until
then a virtual unknown, was signed to a
term contract by Columbia and is now undergoing
a grooming process.
As to the Pi'eeman reference to "no control."
That is patently fallacious. No one
in the picture business is so naive as not to
realize that if the producers really wanted
to, they could easily—and without laying
themselves open to restraint of trade charges
—put an end to the activities and careers of
"irresponsible publicity agents" and those
whom they "induce ... to pay them for
this sort of publicity."
But, apparently, that is too direct and troublesome.
It is much less strain merely to
"condemn" and "deplore," and no concrete
action can be expected until some legislative
body again cracks the whip over Hollywood's
lacerated back.
To the accompaniment of
exploding flashbulbs,
Gus A. Metzger, partner of O. N. "Bill"
Srere in the southland's Metzger-Srere circuit,
was presented upon the occasion of his
75th birthday recently with a gold, diamondstudded
lifetime pass to any and all National
Theatres showcases throughout the U.S. The
gift came from NT President Charles P.
Skouras.
Presumably Gus can now go to movies free
when accompanied by his parents.
To stimulate moviegoers' interest in his
Bette Davis topliner, "The Star," produced for
20th Century-Fox release and current at the
local Four Star Theatre, printed reports had
it that Bert Friedlob earmarked $1,000 for
a telephone ballyhoo campaign and hired
seven gals to make 500 calls daily on residences
in the greater Los Angeles area.
A waste of money, we calls it. The same
results could have been accomplished merely
by opening the windows in the offices of
Friedlob's press agents. Bill Blowitz and Mag-
Maskell.
gie
he who does an impressive
Waller Seltzer,
job as space-snatcher-in-chief for Producer
Hal Wallis, announced it was a press preview.
But the screening of the Dean Martin-Jerry
Lewis starrer, "The Stooge," at the Academy
Awards Theatre proved to come closer to a
poor man's premiere, what with a few tired
klieg lights, a sprinkling of comparably
fatigued dinner jackets, and a spate of
glamor—likewise weary stars.
One impressive touch to the clambake was
the fact that virtually every man in Teet
Carle's Paramount publicity department was
on hand, gleamingly attired in faultless
though rented—tails and top hats, which latter
articles of finery carried bold labels, "The
Stooge."
Teet was not present. Perhaps he felt the
headgear placard was too apropos.
BOXOFFICE :: January 17, 1953 43