The Exhibitor (May-Oct 1945)

THE EXHIBITOR 5 V-E Day Material Ready NEW YORK — Theatre managers throughout the country were alerted last week for bond selling on V-E Day by the national ‘Showmen’s Sev¬ enth’ committee, which sent every the¬ atre a confidential envelope contain¬ ing a suggested plan for special effort in selling bonds on the day the sur¬ render of Germany was proclaimed. Five timely stunts designed to pile up large bond sales were suggested. Also included was a V-E Day onesheet poster which could be displayed when V-E Day was declared. PAUL WILLIAMS RAPS PRICE DISCRIMINATION Hollywood — Paul Williams, general counsel Southern California Theatre Own¬ ers Association and former Assistant U. S. Attorney General, declared last week at a luncheon given in his honor that where price discrimination is found to exist against members of the association as a result of contracts entered into with distributors which has no reasonable relationship to difference in cost of sale between inde¬ pendent operator and circuit buyer, whether affiliated or independent, an ef¬ fort will be made to eliminate such price discrimination in conference with dis¬ tributors. “When discriminations of this character which involve the sale of product upon the same or in an inferior run in the same territory are thoroughly analyzed, and fairly understood, I am sure that all will agree that such price discrimination amongst a distributor’s own customers has no place in an industry which has at¬ tained the high position of motion pictures, both nationally and internationally,” he said. “Indeed, if unjustified price discrim¬ ination is not voluntarily corrected by the industry itself, it will furnish one of the principal causes for eventually bringing the industry under public control and reg¬ ulation as a public utility. This I assume is a thing that nobody in the industry desires.” Williams said that the association will not be a buying agency for film for its members, but will try to solve disputes of its members by round table conferences or arbitration. Warner Sees President WASHINGTON— Harry M. Warner, president, Warner Brothers, visited President Harry Truman at the White House last week, and assured him the industry would give him all possible co-operation, and that motion pictures were anxious to participate in the rehabilitation of the war-torn areas. The matter of using pictures in in¬ ternational relations and education in the post-war period was discussed, with Warner expressing a desire for a world conference on education and non-theatrical films. Sorrell Asks Nationwide Theatre Boycott Of Features As Coast Argument Continues Hollywood — Herbert K. Sorrell, president, Conference of Studio Unions, sent wires to the executive heads of the principal theatre organizations throughout the country last week announcing a nation-wide labor boycott of pictures completed or started during the strike peroid. Said Sorrell, “We have withheld this action during the eight weeks the strike and lockout has progressed hoping the producers would end their farce of pretending that ‘production is normal’, but since they seem determined to prolong this situation at the cost of many millions of dollars to their stockholders, we have decided to put our well outlined plans to enlist the aid of all union men, their families. friends, and sympathizers into action.” The studios whose product is listed in¬ clude MGM, 20th Century-Fox, Para¬ mount, RKO, Warners, Columbia, Uni¬ versal, and Republic. Monogram, General Service, California Studio, and PRC are not involved, according to Sorrell. Abram F. Myers, Allied general counsel, stated that any nation-wide attempt at a boycott by labor would be unfair to ex¬ hibitors, and that he regarded the threat as a gesture designed to frighten exhibitors into intervening in a matter that “rightly concerns only the strikers and the studios.” Sorrell’s action followed the producers’ statement which said they no longer regarded the studio strike a real threat to the industry. They pointed out that a spirit of co-operation on the part of workers had made possible nearly-normal operation, and that, at the end of the sev¬ enth week of the strike, pictures are being started and finished on schedule. It was claimed that 26 features were in work, and that seven had been finished last week, with three new productions starting early in the week, and three more set to go later. On one major lot, eight companies were at work. Gene Green, disputes chief for the Tenth Regional War Labor Board, returned to San Francisco from Washington, and said the National Labor Relations Board was expected to hand down a decision on certi¬ fication of set decorators within the next week or 10 days. It was indicated that the WLB will take no action in the con¬ troversy as long as the NLRB holds juris¬ diction. Meanwhile, former studio workers who claim they lost their jobs through no fault of their own and as victims of the strike appealed for unemployment insurance at hearings started by the California Depart¬ ment of employment. Counsel for the pro¬ ducers opposed the request on grounds that the jobs are available in the studios, and therefore the complainants are not entitled to compensation. Conference of Studio Unions representatives said no strikers are asking insurance payments. Interim agreements have been signed by 32 independent producers with the Screen Players whereby they will use only SPU members as extras. The producers are members of the Independent Motion Picture Producers Association. The CIO disavowed any connection with the Committee of Thirty-Five, which has been urging autonomy for the rank and file of studio workers. CIO officials urge that the strike be ended immediately and said, “Solution of the strike is complicated by the obstinate attitude of the producers and by the unfortunate jurisdictional diffi¬ culties between unions.” The Committee of Thirty-Five had announced that CIO authorization cards would be distributed in the studios. BRITISH STOCK MOVE WORRIES U. S. DISTRIBS New York — Film companies expressed grave concern last week when they heard that the British Board of Trade in London had announced that unless American companies handling British films provide raw stock for releases in this country, it will be unable to provide raw stock for prints of features made there by U. S. units for export. The British Board of Trade, it appears, will not allow any situation whereby Brit¬ ish pictures will be kept from American audience by lack of raw stock, and that if this condition continues it would in¬ terfere with the restoration of the 15 per cent British raw stock cut which went into effect not long ago. It is believed that the State Depart¬ ment will be brought into the picture if the English go through with their plan, and that a protest will be registered with the WPB. The WPB stated here that no request had yet been made by either the British Em¬ bassy or General Film Industries for raw stock to be used for printing in this coun¬ try of British productions to be released here. WPB Lists Industries Washington — The motion picture in¬ dustry will benefit both directly and indi¬ rectly from the War Production Board listing 72 industries last week which will receive priority aid in preparing for the reconversion period. It was explained that ratings are being granted only for those items the lack of which would threaten to hamper recon¬ version, with the AA-3 priority rating to be granted to the list of industries to en¬ able them to get into operation on post V-E Day orders at what is described as a “break-even” rate. Among service equipment listed is 35 mm. motion picture equipment, and among general industrial equipment listing is air conditioning equip¬ ment. Other items affecting the industry are found among the consumers durable goods listing, including electric fans, pho¬ tograph equipment, band instruments, pianos, etc. Plumbing and heating are also placed on the reconversion priority list. Jack Reed was acting as temporary chairman of a committee of studio work¬ ers making a drive for members and will request a charter from the CIO. Richard F. Walsh, IATSE president, returned to New York by plane, but was expected to return. May 9, 1945 QUIN.