Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1948)

4 WHAT'S NEWS En the Film Industry This Week Litigation Possibility that Federal Judge Vincent LeibelFs decree in the cause he decided against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers when he found it to be a monopoly might be less stringent than originally anticipated, was being considered in New York this week. Reason: Judge Leibell displayed a great deal of interest in the Ascap attorney's arguments that his court could not go as far as it did in a civil suit, and that divestiture of rights, as originally suggested in the Judge's opinion, should come only in an anti-trust suit filed by the Justice Department. The Judge reserved decision. (P. S.) The Justice Department meanwhile formally made it known that it would seek divorcement (separation of exhibition from distribution), divestiture (dropping of theatres by the defendants) and a five-year modified ban on cross-licensing when the federal statutory court in New York reopened hearings in its anti-trust suit against the eight majors. Hearing date, originally set for Oct. 13, is due for a change as two defendants asked 30-day postponements. (P. 5.) Distribution Exhibitors face a 1948-49 which will offer 278 pictures, eight more than 1947-48, while at the same time any market demand for an even greater amount can be supported by a backlog of 229 pictures either being made or on the shelf. (P. 5.) This trend toward more releases was evidenced by Universal which is raising its coming schedule to 30 features, and by Republic which has a high 34 plus 16 outdoor specials and eight Roy Rogers reissues. Warner Bros, announced that it had a backlog and would release in accordance to market demands while continuing to produce. RKO will release a shortened version — 121 minutes — of "Mourning Becomes Electra" to the trade for pop-priced showings. Morris Saner of Hollywood has taken over the plotless feature, "Concert Music." Exhibition Checkers in Wisconsin will not have to take out a private detective's license and be bonded provided they are checking with the knowledge of the exhibitor and working in the open, the Attorney General ruled in effect, clarifying an earlier ruling. The earlier ruling had placed checkers in the same category as private detectives on the assumption that they worked secretly. The law will apply to undercover checkers. There are 756 drive-ins in th U. S. with a car capacity of 313,378, 31 of which are closed, 137 of which operate through the year and 608 of which operate seasonally, the Motion Picture Association of America revealed this week. And exhibitors can take little comfort from Sen. Taft's statement that excise taxes should be cut, for the senators seems to think they ought to come off first from cosmetics, luggage, etc., and probably last from theatres. Television United Artists has set up a distribution unit to handle films for television but would not say whether it would be new product or reissues. Screen Actors Guild plans to get into a general union which would embrace all performers but musicians for video shows and video films. Nat Gold was elected president of the National Television Council in New York. General In England J. Arthur Rank came out with a statement that there could be "no peace and understanding" between the British and American industries till British pictures got "reasonable playing time in America." He pointed to what he said was the success of the British films wherever they had been given a chance. In the United States some industry sources were inclined to consider the Rank "peace and understanding" statement as an attempt to bull whip more playing time and the Rank reference to the success of his films as something which rhymed with whip and was not unrelated to the bull. They pointed to difficulties with British product here. Rank, however, was having a bit of a go of it in his own country as the press there raised an eyebrow at his financial statement and as British exhibitors appeared to be accepting the "All-American" plan for booking duals put into effect by the Motion Picture Association of America. The Federal Reserve Board will hold open hearings Oct. 12 on antitrust charges against the Transamerica (Giannini) Corporation. The charge is based on alleged monopoly of credit through the .company's holdings and is not grounded in its film financing. The House Un-American Activities Committee is scheduled to start its hearings after the election, Rep. John McDowell said. They'll take place in Hollywood this time. Hearings of the Congressional Small Business Committee have been called off reportedly until the members get through their campaigning for the coming elections. Public Relations Publicist Paul McNamara's plan for a $2,000,000 public relations institute to be financed by everyone in the industry from janitor to top executive, received the approval of Hollywood's Motion Picture Industry Council. Theatre Owners of America is calling its public relations committee into session to discuss an expanded public relations plan approved by its convention. Max E. Youngstein, president of the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers, outlined the public relations program the association will put into effect. SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 9, 1948 Ampa Plan Is Outlined Centers on Industry End Public Relations Objectives of the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers present administration will be twofold— 1) to give the public a true picture of the motion picture industry ; 2) to make the industry understand the importance of its ad, publicity and exploitation men — President Max E. Youngstein declared last Friday as Ampa held the first of its winter meetings at the Hotel Astor. Youngstein, who lashed at what he termed abuses in the industry and reiterated his opinion that its public relations were bad, is advocating a move on the part of Ampa to "strive with all the power at our command to present the public a true picture of the motion picture industry and to do all we can to make that picture as good as possible." No Kidding "We do not kid ourselves as to what our contribution in this endeavor can be," he continued. "We do, however, have the manpower and ability. We know for a certainty that we cannot do this job alone. We also know that the job cannot be done unless cooperation is achieved with exhibitor groups such as TOA. Ampa is already establishing such cooperation with exhibitor groups and has made good progress to date." Youngstein declared that he had found from a cross-country tour that it was too widely believed: 1) The motion picture industry was in a bad financial crisis ; 2) that it was a "hotbed of anti-American activity ;" 3) that it is morally subversive ; that women's group believed it caused crime, juvenile delinquency, etc. Small Business Hearing Called Off Hearing of the Congressional Small Business Committee which was to have been held at Louisville Tuesday has been postponed "at least until after the elections," reports from that city declared Wednesday. According to the report Rep. Walter C. Ploeser, chairman of the committee, had advised those interested that the body would be unable to conduct the hearing as scheduled "because of the pressure of the election campaign." This apparently applies also to the hearings which were set at Oklahoma City for Oct. 8 and Houston for Oct. 11. The hearings in the past had considered exhibitor complaints. Silent 'Tom Thumb' In Preparation Silent as well as sound versions of "The Adventure of Tom Thumb," George Pal production for United Artists release, will be made the producer said this week. A survey, he declared, showed that the silent field still controls thousands of rentals in remote parts of the globe. Duke Goldstone and Harry Hinkle will do the silent version. Plumlee Will Enter Exhibition Field Frank Plumlee, district manager for Theatre Enterprises in the Kansas City District, resigned this week to enter exhibition on his own. Ed Kidwell, city manager of Roswell, New Mexico, succeeds him. INDEX TO DEPARTMENTS Advance Data 30A Newsreel Synopses 37 Audience Classifications 19 Regional Newsreel 23 Box-Office Slants 19 Selling the Picture 13 Feature Booking Guide 31 Shorts Booking Guide 38 Feature Guide Title Index.. 31 Theatre Management 20 Hollywood 29 Theatre Equipment and Maintenance National Newsreel 4 Begins Opposite Page 30 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, Title and Trade Mark Registered U. S. Patent Office. Published every Friday by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc., 1501 Broadway, New York 18, N. Y. Telephone. LOngacre 3-0121. Charles E. 'Chick' Lewis, Editor and publisher; Tom Kennedy, Executive Editor; Ralph Cokain, Managing Editor; Harold Rendall, Equipment Advertising Manager; West Coast Office, 6777 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood 28. California; Telephone, HOllywood 3055 ; Ann Lewis, manager. London Representative, Jock MacG'regor, 16 Leinster Mews, London W.2 ; Telephone, AMBassador 3601 ; Member Audit Bureau of Circulations, Member Associated Business Papers. All contents copyright \ 1948 by Showmen's Trade Review, Inc. Address all correspondence to the New York office. Subscription rates: $2.00 per year in the United States and Canada; Foreign, $5.00; Single copies, ten cents.