Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1941)

Page 8 Branch Issues Dual Warning Sees Oppressive Taxation Senate Probe Repercussions Detroit — Addressing Michigan's Allied convention at the Book Cadillac Hotel here this week, President Ray Branch warned the delegates of prospective oppressive Federal taxation for the industry and added that the Senate sub-committee propaganda inquiry "can have very serious repercussions on the entire industry." Asserting that one trouble with the industry was that home office executives had not gotten around enough and met exhibitors, Branch declared that "under today's conditions, more unity is desirable." H. M. Richey, director of exhibitor relations for MGM, touched on the subject of unity when he told his listeners that he saw nothing strange in the fact that unity should be first in the minds of so many people at this time "because I believe that the industry is being driven closer and closer together by the emergency." Continuing, he added : "Attacks from the outside, efforts at unreasonable taxation which would be confiscatory i£ adopted, the realization that the industry has lost millions of customers by the competition of outside elements, the working of the consent decree even though it may not contain all the elements of solution it should — all of these things brought Us to a realization that the other fellow's problem is sometimes our problem, and certainly your problem is many times his problem." Claude F. Lee, Paramount's Director of Public Relations, in sneaking to the theatremen, called on U. S. exhibitors to interpret the character, ideals and motives of the film industry to people in their communities as an answer to the Senate sub-committee investigation of the screen. Said Lee: "We must continue to believe in and express ourselves in favor of our Americanism with the same fervor and energy as does the fanatical propagandist of anti-Americanisms. Equally with industry leadership, the community exhibitor shares the responsibility of interpreting to the world the motives and conduct of the institution of the motion picture. Together they give to this business its personality and its very good character." Friedman to Head Cleveland Warner Club Cleveland — Martin Friedman, Vitagraph booker, has been elected president of the local Warner Club for the coming year, succeeding Charles Albert. Form 'U' Exchange Club Cleveland — A social and welfare club has been formed by the Universal exchange here. Joe Krenitz, Mrs. Laura Ziebell, Frank de Franco, Helen Westlock and George Flynn are directors. Laudy Lawrence Named Selznick Representative David O. Selznick announced this week the appointment of Laudv Lawrence, for many years MGM's general manager in Eurone. as Selznick's special representative in the distribution of his UA releases. SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW ARRIVING FOR WASHINGTON PREMIERE October 11, 1941 A Julian Brylawski, of Warner Bros.' Washington office, greets some of those who attended the premiere of "One Foot In Heaven," Warner picture, at the Earle Theatre in Washington. Left to right are Brylawski, Herbert Freston, president of the California Bar Association; H. M. Warner, President of Warner Bros.; Mrs. Warner; Mrs. Freston; and Joseph Bernhard, general manager of Warner Bros.' Theatres. Rule Would Bar 'Plebiscites' New England Allied Proposes By-Law Making Convention Votes Binding on Issue; National Directors Meet Oct. 22 Repetition of controversy over convention vote such as occurred at the recent national Allied meet in Philadelphia, would be eliminated by adoption of a recommendation made by the New England unit in ratifying with reservations the "unity" committee resolution. The New England group suggested a bylaw which would make a convention vote binding on an issue, instead of allowing the directors to reject, as was the case in Philadelphia, the decision of delegates on motions submitted to the convention. Voting by Allied units on the proposal for a coordinating committee, has been virtually completed with only the Connecticut group deciding against it. New Jersey gave its approval with reservations to protect Allied as a whole, while Eastern Pennsylvania and New England approved the plan with the elimination of the section calling for a permanent national organization. Whether this provision will remain in the resolution which the Allied directors will consider is the important question at the moment. The poll of the various units was taken by order of the directors following the Philadelphia convention. The board will meet Oct. 22 at Pittsburgh, in conjunction with the annual convention of the AMPTO of Western Pennsylvania. The controversy between Nate Yamins, who led the rebellion in Philadelphia, and the rest of the directors, appears to have abated following the approval of the measure by Yamins' own New England unit last week-end, with the reservation that it did not approve the allindustry permanent set-up. This paragraph remains as the sole contention between Yamins and the other directors. Honored at Luncheon Members of RKO Theatres' Publicity Department honored John A. Cassidy last week at a luncheon at the Chez Lina restaurant celebrating his 20th year with the company. Plea for Rehearing Lost by Nick-Weston St. Louis — Application of John P. Nick, former first International vicepresident of the IATSE, and Clyde Weston, one-time business manager of Local 143, Operators, for a rehearing in their appeal from the conviction on a charge of violating the Federal anti-racketeering law, was denied this week by the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Nick and Weston each face prison terms of five years and must also pay fines of $10,000 each. The convictions were affirmed by the Court of Appeals before Federal District Judge John Caskie Collet on Aug. 31. Counsel for the two men have announced they will petition the U. S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to review the action of the Court of Appeals in affirming the convictions Aug. 31 and now refusing to grant rehearings. Branton Against Unit's Move to Admit Circuits Ralph Branton will not place his Tri-State Theatres in with the Allied-Independent Theatre Owners of Iowa and Nebraska as has been proposed, he said this week in New York, as long as there are two national exhibitor organizations. Completion of the plan whereby the independent association would admit circuit theatres might take place this winter, he said, if one large national organization could be created. Expressing his onnosition to having two national associations, Branton indicated that harmony in the industry cannot be achieved until all exhibitors are brought in under one banner. Use Tax To Raise Prices Circuits Jump Admissions To Make Even Amounts New taxes went into effect last week on theatre admissions and at the same time, many houses raised their prices. Although the new tax did not change from the old one on tickets over 20 cents, nevertheless opportunity was taken to generally raise admissions by many circuits. Warner Bros., for example, put an extra nickel on all week-end admissions, citing increased operating costs, the fact that the public has more money to spend on admissions and also the crowding of theatres on Saturdays and Sundays as the reasons. Loew's and RKO Theatres are renorting raising admissions in many spots to eliminate odd pennies. Children's prices were principally affected by the increases since all tickets of ten cents and over are now taxable, with the exception of children's admissions of less than ten cents. Trailers have been run by many houses pointing out that the extra pennies go for national defense. Last Saturday, first weekend of the new impost, found many kids with only the customary dime, but managers in most cases dug into their own pockets and told the kids to bring the full price the next time. The kids themselves seem well disposed to chip in the extra pennies for national defense. "Pay or Else..." Browne, Bioff Correa Says They Asked 2 Million From Producers 'You pay us or else we'll wreck your business," George E. Browne and William Bioff are alleged to have told film producers in 1935. The charge was made as the two were placed on trial this week by United States Attorney Matthias F. Correa in New York for violation of the Federal anti-racketeering statute. Browne and Bioff were said to have set $2,000,000 as the original price asked for refraining from calling strikes. Correa traced the history of Browne and Bioff and their negotiations with the producers, stating that after the lapsing of a basic agreement between the unions and the producers in 1932, Browne and Bioff began a campaign to be included among the parties to the general agreement. Strikes were called in key cities, including Chicago, he said. These strikes impressed the producers and exhibitors with their costliness and in 1935, Browne and Bioff came forward with a "simple proposition." Haggling and bargaining were said to have brought the price down to $550,000— $400,000 in cash and the remainder in a roundabout way involving commissions on raw film.