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Expanded N.Y. Studios
To Vie With Hollywood
NEW YORK—Condlllons lavonng production
of theatrical and television films here
instead of In Hollywood have led Gold Medal
Studios, located on part of the old Blograph
lot In the Bronx, to announce a building
and expansion program, according to Martin
Poll, president. He de.-icrlbed the plans at
a luncheon Tuesday (21 1 at the Twenty One
Club.
The program calls for the addition of six
new stages to the present two stages. The
first has been acquired and Is In the Dumont
Telecentre In midtown Manhattan. It Is part
of a secondary development to be known as
Gold Medal Midtown. The Bronx studios
will be known as Gold Medal Uptown.
The major part of the program is ke.ved
to the acquisition of the balance of the
buildings on the Blograph lot. not now a
part of Gold Medal operation. Gold Medal
expects within the year to build five additional
stages there, at least two of which
will compare In size with Its existing two
stages there, both comparable. Poll said, with
the largest Holl>-wood stages.
A smaller building on the lot will be rehabilitated
to house the scene dock, inventoried
in exce.ss of $1,000,000. Cimarron
Ranch, a 200-acre dude ranch near Putnam
Valley. N. Y.. has been acquired and will be
used for filming western motion pictures. TV
commercials and TV films.
Poll claimed that films made at Gold
Medal have .saved from 22 per cent to 47
per cent of the estimated budgets that would
have prevailed had coast studios been used.
'New York studio rentals," he said, "are
lower in price than comparable Hollywood
facilities. They do not have overhead or administrative
charges customary in Hollywood
where they may add 20 to 40 per cent to a
picture's budget. Gold Medal facilities create
an economical vertical operation unlike the
remote departments in Hollj-wood. The finest
talent existing anywhere Is in New York
with Its thousands of thoroughly trained
actors for the legitimate stage. The crew
we have developed is as fast and efficient
as any anywhere "
George Justin, production manager of
"Face In the Crowd" and a.s.soclate producer
of "The Goddess," "12 Angry Men" and
"Water Front." has estimated that the average
Hollywood picture budgeted at $1,500.-
000 can be produced In a top New York
studio at a .saving of from $400,000 to $500.-
000 Poll Miid
'South Pacific' Showings
To Aid Military Project
VFW YORK Twenty Naval Air Reserve
actlvltle.s near major U.S cities will conduct
regional premieres of "South Pacific" with
nil proceeds going to the Navy-Marlnc Corps
Memorial Stadium fund at Annapolis. Md
T\\v film will be relcaiu?d In March In the
Todd-AO proceiw. The decision was reached
nt a meetlnK of naval officers with O.scar
HBmmemtcIn II, producer ot the film;
Ci'oiKf p fUcouraA. president of Moxna The-
II': I fori) dl.^trlbut'ir. and Josh Logan, the
fl;n''"r Coa-Fox. Here for a two-day sales conference,
he declared that playing all pictures
at the same admission price "does not make
sense."
He told a press conference that "some pictures
are priced out of the market while
others are priced too cheaply."
There are different categories of films
just as there are Chevrolets and Cadillacs,
he said, and the industry shouldn't sell the
Chevrolet-type picture at the same price as
the Cadillac-type of film.
"Tickets should vary in price, depending on
the caliber of the particular motion picture.
A good picture can command a good price
as the public Is willing to pay for quality."
he said.
Exhibitors, he said, know their communities
better than distributors do. and 20th-Fox
will not dictate adml.sslon prices nor insist
on any rigid system of distribution of pictures.
On the fluid, changeable-accordlngto-plcture
pattern of distribution, Harrl.son
pointed to the method by which "A Farewell
to Arms" is being released. In some areas,
the picture will be played on a modified
saturation basLs while in other markets it will
play on the usual first-run releasing pattern.
In Atlanta, however, the picture will
open on a hard-ticket ixillcy. a decision
reached In conference with the exhibitor to
play the film.
Jurgens Voted Top Star
HOLIA'WOOD—Curl Jurgens again was
voted the No 1 screen star In Germany In
the annual Starometor ptill conducted by the
Hamburg Star Revue JuiTjeiis. who recently
appeared In "The ICneniy Below" for 20th-
Fox. ha* led the render iwipulnrlly poll on
several previous occa-iloas.
Rank Sales Campaign
Aims at Drive-ins
NEW YORK— Mori- bu.sme.ss with driveins
as well as expanding .sales to conventional
theatres is the 1958 goal of Rank Film Distributors
of America. Kenneth N. Hargreaves,
president, said Thursday