Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1955)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY 3L. 78. NO. 95 NEW YORK, U.S.A., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1955 TEN CENTS : MiJ N Hi recedent Set lold Capital iains Applies o TV Sales decision Limited Only o Certain Film Cases Ipl per i By J. A. OTTEN WASHINGTON, Nov. 16.-The 1 lternal Revenue Service has issued ruling allowing money received om the sale of old, fully-depreciated lms to TV— in certain cases— to be ixed as long-term capital gains, ither than as ordinary income. Long3rm gains are taxed at only half the ates of ordinary income. While the ruling, the first in this eld, has been long awaited by the Revision and motion picture industry s a precedent, the service made it lear that the ruling would cover ther cases only if they involved the ame or similar circumstances to those n the case covered by today's ruling, "he tax treatment of cases with diferent circumstances would be left for ( Continued on page 6 ) WCBS-TV Buys Nine Lippert Productions Television Today.. WCBS-TV has purchased nine Robert Lippert feature film Droductions for exclusive first-run-onrelevision showings in New York on ;ither the "Early Show" or the "Late Show," it was announced yesterday. The films are being distributed to TV by Tele-Pictures, Inc. The nine pictures are "Air Strike," 'Black Pirates," "Deadly Game," 'Glass Tomb," "King Dinosaur," 'Lonesome Trail," "Race for Life," 'Silver Star" and "Unholv Four." Chretien to Take Part in 55mm. Bow Professor Henri Chretien, inventor of CinemaScope, will be on hand for the unveiling of 20th Century-Fox's new 55mm. CinemaScope process to the public, slated to be held here in February with the opening of "Carousel." Chretien, who is here on a family (Continued on page 7) No Stimulant Seen To Films for TV An industry authority here, questioned as to the consequences of the Internal Revenue ruling on the sale of old films to TV, discounted its significance for the motion picture industry. The ruling, at first glance, he added, will not act as a stimulant to any large degree for the sale of old films to television. The few film companies that have entered the TV field, have not sold their negative rights to the films, but rather have issued licenses for their TV screenings, he pointed out. Kalver NaVl Director And President , AT 01 Special to THE DAILY INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 16. Roy Kalver today was reelected president of Allied Theatre Owners of Indiana at the closing business session of the two-day annual fall convention in the Marott Hotel here. Policies adopted by the national Allied convention at Chicago last week were brought to Hoosier exhibitors in a message by Rube Shor, president, and Abram F. Myers, general counsel. The convention passed no resolutions. Kalver also was elected ATOI national director, to replace Trueman T. Rembusch, at the latter's insistence because of his activities in other exhibitor interests. Rembusch was elected alternate national director. Other ATOI officers reelected were {Continued on page 6) Gets Started Today Exhibition Poised For Audience Poll Elmer Rhoden Predicts 8,000 Theatres Will Handle About 35,000,000 Ballots By LESTER DINOFF Although a number of theatres jumped the gun in distributing ballots to their patrons, the nation's exhibitors today will launch the first Audience Awards poll which is being conducted under the auspices of Council of Motion Picture Organizations. Elmer C. Rhoden, n a tional Audience Awards chairman, yesterday predicted that the 8,000 U. S. theatres which are participating in the campaign will handle about 35,000,000 votes which the public is expected to cast by midnight of Nov. 27, when balloting closes. Voting today and tomorrow is ex( Continued on page 6) Adult Ticket Prices Up in 3rd Quarter From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Nov. 16. Adult admission prices in large cities went up during the third quarter of this year, but children's prices fell sharply, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The result was a small drop in the bureau's index for combined adult-children prices. The bureau collects admission (Continued on page 7) Elmer Rhoden Solons in 17 States To Convene in '56 From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Nov. 16.-Seventeen state legislatures will meet in the coming year, according to Motion Picture Association of America's Jack Bryson. As of now, Bryson says, no action (Continued on page 6) Schneider Up Again For NTFC President Report Allied' s E. D. C. May Air Exhibitor Grievances in Newspaper Ads in Key Areas Special to THE DAILY MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 16.-Part of the $200,000 fund that Allied States' Emergency Defense Committee will endeavor soon to raise for its new activities may be used to purchase newspaper space in strategic cities for the purpose of airing independent exhibitor problems and grievances and enlisting public opinion in support of Allied's forthcoming campaign to obtain Federal legislation regulating the industry, it is reported. Efforts to obtain confirmation were unsuccessful, but Ben Berger, E.D.C. chairman, is not averse to going directly to the public with trade or other problems and has been known in the past to use newspaper space to do it. The bulk of the E.D.C. fund, nevertheless, presumably will be earmarked for use in gathering film selling terms information from many parts of the country and exchanging it among the participating territories. It will also gather information for the Senate Small Business Committee hearings on Allied's proposed legislation. The nominating committee of the National Television Film Council has re-nominated John J. Schneider, incumbent president, to head the association in 1956, it was announced yesterday by Lou Feldman, committee chairman. Also nominated for NTFC offices (Continued on page 7) 3,325 'U' Stock Warrants Used From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Nov. 16.-During the four months ended Oct. 31, warrants for the purchase of 3,325 shares of Universal common were exercised, the company informed the Securities and Exchange Commission. This activity leaves 27,043 warrants outstanding, exclusive of the 12,800 warrants held in the treasury as of Oct. 31, Universal added.