Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

FIRST) IN FILM NEWS MOTION PICTURE i^cclirate Cdhcise and Impartial VOL. 66. NO. 65 NEW YORK, U.S.A., MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1949 TEN CENTS Claims MajorIndependent Tie-Up s Legal K-B's Brief Says Such Partnerships Permitted Washington, Oct. 2. — Nothing in the anti-trust laws or the Supreme Court's Paramount decision make joint theatre ownerships by a major company and an independent exhibitor illegal per se, the K-B Amusement Co. told the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The company on Friday filed its appeal brief from District Judge Matthew McGuire's ruling that the contract between K-B and Stanley Co. was part of a conspiracy found {Continued on page 3) New MGM Air Show: Dietz to Be 'Host' Loew's radio station WMGM, New York, will present a weekly series of hour-long "M-G-M Theatre of the Air" dramatic productions featuring Hollywood personalities in adaptations of M-G-M screen properties, beginning Oct. 14, it was announced by Bertram Lebhar, Jr., director of WMGM. Howard Dietz, M-G-M vice-presi (Continued on page 3) MGM Slates 11 for Release, 16 for Filming Before '50 Eleven pictures scheduled for national release during October, November and December, and 16 set to go into production during October and November is M-G-M's program. Of the eleven scheduled for release, three will be made available this month, four next month and four in December, distribution vice-president William F. Rodgers reports. These will make a total of 37 pictures released by AVilliam F. Rodgers the company during the current year, including one reissue, "The Wizard of Oz." Ten pictures completed at the Cul(Continued on page 3) Honan Joins Altec In Engineer's Post Dr. E. M. Honan has joined the Altec Service and Altec Lansing Companies in the capacity of engineering manager, G. L. Carrington, president, announced. Honan's headquarters will be in Hollywood. He announced his retirement last Friday as engineering manager of the Electrical Research Products division of Western Electric. Court Action Probable In RKO-Reade Split Up Truces Keep 3 UK Studios Working London, Oct. 2. — Projected general salary cuts at J. Arthur Rank's Denham and Pinewood studios, scheduled to become effective this week, have been suspended for two weeks pending discussions with the Technicians Association. Meanwhile, production resumed at Elstree Studio on a conditional basis awaiting the outcome of discussions Wednesday between Associated British Pictures Corp. and Electrical Technicians Union. Split-up of the RKO-Walter Reade Theatres joint operation of 11 houses in Trenton and New Brunswick, N. J., appears headed for the courts for the reason that RKO's offer to sell to or buy out Reade at $1,500,000 has been met with Reade's insistence that RKO sell its interests in the partnership for $300,000. The wide variance in offer and counter-offer lies in the fact that RKO's proposition is based on its own estimate of market value of the circuit, while Reade contends that book value is to be the price paid to whichever partner wants to, or uiuit, sell. In compliance with its consent decree in the industry anti-trust suit, RKO must dissolve its partnerships. Actually, Reade owns only 25 per {Continued on page 3) Appeal on 'Curley' Ban in Court Today Argument in the appeal by United Artists and Hal Roach of the Memphis Board of Censors' ban on the Hal Roach picture "Curley" will be heard today in the Tennessee Supreme Court, Knoxville. The Motion Picture Association of America is supporting the plaintiff's action and hopes to make it a test case on film censorship if it can be taken ultimately to the U. S. Supreme Court. "Curley" was banned because it showed white and Negro children playing together in school. Michigan Allied Opens Meet Today Detroit, Oct 2.— Allied Theatres of Michigan will open a three-day convention here tomorrow at the Book Cadillac Hotel. First business session will be held Tuesday morning, with national Allied president William Ainsworth speaking at a luncheon to follow. Abram Myers, national Allied chairman and counsel, will be the guest speaker at the Tuesday afternoon session, with Trueman Rembusch, Allied of Indiana president, speaking at the final session Wednesday morning. Joseph Uvick, president, will preside. Grant DuMont Bid In Video Hearings Washington, Oct. 2. — The Federal Communications Commission Friday granted the petition of Allen B. DuMont Laboratories to ' put on black-and-white television showings of all programs being broadcast in color by CBS and RCA during the Commission's current television hearings. DuMont claims a side-by-side comparison of the two systems will show the superiority of black-and-white. The Commission asked CBS and RCA to submit in advance its demonstration program for this week. A dvance M-G-M Sales Meet to Oct 13 M-G-M's sales conference at the Astor Hotel has been advanced from Oct. 17 to Oct. 13, it was announced at the weekend by William F. Rodgers, distribution vice-president. Reason for the switch in dates is to permit the attendance of the company's 12 sales representatives who are scheduled to sail on Oct. 17 for conferences in Europe. TOA Moves to Regulate Bids By Trade Code Pinanski Names 17 to Meet With Distributors With the naming by president Samuel Pinanski of a 17-man distributor-exhibitor relatons committee, Theatre Owners of America at the w e e ke n d took the first step toward translating into action the recommendations on trade practices made at the organization's annual convention last month in Los Angeles. Bidding and a v a i 1 a b i 1ities will be the group's main targets, with the aim of regulating both by a trade practice code. Pinanski appointed himself and the (Continued on page 3) Samuel Pinanski May Liberalize Tax On Foreign Income Washington, Oct. 2.— While Administration plans to liberalize tax laws on income earned abroad is not specifically designed to aid the film industry, there seems little doubt that the industry would benefit if Congress did pass such legislation. The Administration is reported planning to lay its proposals before (Continued on page 3) State Dep't. Film Post to I. Frank Washington, Oct. 2. — Isaiah Frank, a State Department expert on the Marshall Plan and European cooperation, has been selected as the Department's new film chief to succeed Merrill C. Gay. Frank will be the fourth official to fill that post since George Canty left at the end of 1947. He has been in the Department's Commercial Policy Division for four years.