Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1940)

Page 4 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW October 5, 1940 Myers Supports the Consent Decree , # — — — — — — ; t~— . : ^r. . rr~ Says It Is Not Ail That Is Desired But Deserves Fair Trial Although most of the Allied units have condemned the consent decree and particularly that portion dealing with selling pictures in blocks of five, National Allied will support the decree. Abram F. Myers, board chairman and general counsel for the organization told the New Jersey Allied organization of his views on the subject last week, and that group then passed a resolution approving them. Myers said the decree was not all that was desired but that it would be advisable to go along with it "and see what happens." The action taken at the Friday meeting was solely that of the New Jersey organization, but it was indicative of the stand of the National organization's leaders. While many of them were opposed to the five-picture plan, they expressed a willingness to give it a try. They took the stand that the decree will be enforced regardless of their opposition, so they might as well forego opposition now. "The intelligent thing to do is to put our heads together and figure out how to make the best of a bad bargain," said Myers. He hinted that Assistant Attorney General Thurman Arnold had not kept faith with independent exhibitors, since he had promised that no consent decree would be approved which did not meet the wishes of the independents. But the decree, including the five-picture plan, will be handed to the industry even though "no one is advocating it, no one wants it in its present form," he said. The Allied leader further asserted that "the five-block plan will work a hardship on the exhibitor who likes to buy his pictures in the fall and then turn over his theatre to his manager for the remainder of the year. It will be bad news for the PREMIERE exhibitor who likes to spend his time at his broker's office instead of in his theatre. But to the exhibitor who devotes his entire time and energy to his business, who is competent to match wits with all comers, the outlook may not be as dark as it has been painted." Myers further advocated acceptance of the decree because "a trial means hopes long deferred and the need for relief is immediate and pressing. Hence, I want to emphasize the fact that I am not opposed to the idea of a fair and just settlement. My criticisms are directed at the document and to some extent at the procedure. But if a fair settlement can be arrived at, I will welcome it." Myers gave a history of the negotiations leading to the consent decree as now drafted in which he said that originally Allied's suggestions to safeguard the exhibitor were being included in the decree. "Something had gone wrong when the August 3 draft was made public," said Myers, but Arnold informed him that his staff had done the best they could and "that on the whole he thought it was a pretty good job." He praised the arbitration clauses but said that the provision in reference to granting some run contains "weasel words" against which Allied has protested. He described the provision against discrimination in the selling of runs as "so hampered by conditions and limitations as to raise a doubt whether it was intended to insure fairness in the business or merely to doctor up a few ancient headaches." Asks Elimination of Petty Jealousies Rodgers Urges Cooperation At Philly Exhibitor Meeting Philadelphia — The industry must set aside its petty jealousies and cooperate if the burden placed upon it by the loss of the foreign markets is to be hurdled, William F. Rodgers, MGM sales chief, asserted here this week in an address before 200 exhibitors from all parts of the territory at a luncheon meeting at the Hotel Warwick The meeting, an informal discussion of industry probems, dealt chiefly with the increased price policy on "Boom Town." Rodgers said the policy had been tested before being offered exhibitors, and that in his opinion increasing theatre admissions generally was not practical. Co-op of Mich. Against Decree None of Relief Sought By Code or Neely Bill Is Given To Copy N. Y. "Dictator" Idea Negotiations Under Way For Other Key City Engagements Duplication of the New York policy on Charles Chaplin's "The Great Dictator," in which two theatres, the As tor and Capitol, have been utilized for a simultaneous showing, will take place in the important key cities of the country, it was announced this week by Murray Silverstone of United Artists. Following the New York pattern of a reserved seat showing at the Astor and continuous performances at the Capitol, beginning Oct. 15, both at increased admission prices, negotiations are now under way for the Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco engagements. Other key cities considering this exhibition policy include Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Atlanta Negotiations are being conducted by Harry Gold and L. J. Schlaifer, United Artists sales chiefs. Plans were completed for prompt release of the film in Great Britain. Set Release Date World premiere of Walt Disney's "Fantasia" has been set for Wednesday, November 13th, at the Broadway Theatre in New York. Coordinators Named For Red Cross Drive District coordinators, who will assist the local committees of theatre owners and theatre managers in organizing and conducting the Red Cross campaign in each distribution zone, were designated this week by Major L. E. Thompson, general chairman, with the approval of the home offices of the distributors, to take charge of this part of the drive in their respective territories, with the assistance of the -ither branch managers in the zone. Territories and coordinators follow : Albany, Bernard G. Kranze, RKO Radio; Atlanta, R. M. Avey, Loew's, Inc.; Boston, R. C. Cropper, RKO Radio; Buffalo, K. G. Robinson, Paramount; Charlotte, R_. J. Ingram, Columbia; Chicago, J Here are Dorothy Darell, Producer Joe Pasternak and Peggy Moran as they attended the world premiere of "Spring Parade," Deanna Durbin's newest Universal picture, which Pasternak produced, at the Pantages Theatre, Hollywood. C. Osserman, RKO Radio; Cincinnati, Allen S. Moritz, Columbia; Cleveland, J. R. Kauffman, Universal; Dallas, Doak Roberts, Vitagraph; Denver, Chester J. Bell, Paramount; Des Moines, Stanley Mayer, 20th-Fox; Detroit, Fred North, Vitagraph ; Indianapolis, G. R. Frank, United Artists; Kansas City, Frank C. Hensler, Loew's, Inc. ; Los Angeles, W. E. Calloway, Vitagraph; Memphis, J. Frank Willingham, Loew's, Inc.; Milwaukee, Oscar Ruby, Columbia; Minneapolis, Eph Rosen, Monogram ; New Haven, Morris Joseph, Universal; New Orleans, C. E. Peppiatt, United Artists; New York City, J. J. Bowen, Loew's, Inc.; Oklahoma City, J. O. Robie, Vitagraph; Omaha, C. W. Allen, RKO Radio; Philadelphia, Earle Schweigert, Paramount; Pittsburgh, Ira Cohn, 20th-Fox; Portland, R. O. Wilson, Universal; St. Louis, B. B. Reingold, 20th-Fox; Salt Lake City, William Gordon, Vitagraph; San Francisco, Neal East, Paramount; Seattle, E. A. Lamb, RKO Radio; Washington, Sam Wheeler, 20th-Fox. Additional exhibitor opposition to the proposed consent decree developed this week when Cooperative Theatres of Michigan, consisting of over 100 independently owned theatres went on record among the dissenters. Cooperative objects not only to the blocks-of-five proposal "but because the decree brings none of the relief that was sought by the independent theatre owners of the country both in the Neely Bill and in the Code proceedings." In a letter to Assistant Attorney General Thurman Arnold, they indicate that the points of relief sought by them in the Neely hearings last Spring, are almost completely left out of the decree. Such points as: 1. Reasonable cancellations. 2. Forced "Selected playin time" still allowed. 3. "Score charges" untouched. 4. Elimination from "Arbitration" of other unjust practices except in most unusual cases. 5. Permits worse conditions of cancellation on objectionable pictures on moral, racial or religious grounds. 6. That it will raise costs to exhibitors that they will not be able to pass on. Cooperative has also appealed to the members of the House Inter state and Foreign Commerce Com mittee, (which still has the Neely Bill) to intercede with the AssiS' tant Attorney General, Mr. Arnold and with his "chief," Robert H Jackson, not to approve the decree They have also filed objections with Federal Judge Henry W. Goddard before whom the anti-trust trial will resume October 7, and have asked for an opportunity to be heard with their objections. CHARLES CHAPLIN (The Man on the Cover) His first picture in four years, "The Great Dictator" will have its world premiere at the Astor and Capitol Theatres in New York on Oct. 15. Not only does he play the starring role, but e produced and directed the picture, wrote the story and music for it and supervised its editing as well. SHOWMEN'S Trad< Vol. 33, No. 1 1 Review Oct. 5, 1940 Title and Trade Mark Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Published every Friday by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc., 1501 Broadway, New York City. Telephone BRyant 9-5606. Charles E. "Chick" Lewis, Editor and Publisher; Tom Kennedy, Associate Editor; Robert Wile, Managing Editor; Joseph H. Gallagher, Film Advertising Manager; Harold Rendall, Equipment Advertising Manager; West Coast Office, Guaranty Bldg., 6331 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Calif., Telephone HOllywood 1390, Ann Lewis, manager; Chicago Representative, Marshall Reinig, 612 North Michigan Ave., Telephone Superior 7646; London Representative, Milton Deane, 185 Fleet St., London E.C. 4; Austalian Representative, Gordon V. Curie, 1 Elliott St., Homebush, Sydney, Australia. Subscription rates per year: $2.00 in the United States and Canada ; Foreign, $5.00. Single copies, ten cents. Subscribers should remit with order. Entered as second class matter February 20, 1940, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1940 by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc. Printed in U.S.A. Address all Communications to: SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 1501 Broadway New York City