Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 22, 1949 11 Attack Skouras Daylight Saving Trailer Support Sharp issue over the support of daylight saving time in California by National Theatres Chief Charles Skouras was taken this week by the California Citizens Committee Against Daylight Saving Time, which includes exhibitors. The anti-daylight savers centered their fire on what they termed a "$12,000 movie trailer dreaming up propaganda virtues for the often defeated law." In asking exhibitors to refuse their screens to this trailer which is said to have been made by Skouras, R. V. Garrod, state chairman for the committee, stated : "This trailer is about to be forced upon thousands of innocent theatre patrons. This committee uses the word 'forced' in the sense that we do not believe Mr. Skouras will pay for advertising warning the patrons that they will have to sit through political hokum after having paid their own money for entertainment." Theatremen included on the committee's executive board are : C. A. Cabellero, Pacific Drive-in Theatres Ass'n, Los Angeles ; Leo Fenton, director, Independent Theatre Owners, Los Angeles; George M. Mann, Independent Theatres, San Francisco; Leroy Pawley, president. Independent Theatre Ass'n, Indio. Name 3-Man Committee To Pass on ECA Payments EC.\ administrator Paul G. Hoflfman this week appointed a three-member advisory Committee on motion picture guaranties to decide which films would be suitable to receive financial assistance under the informational media guarantee program. The committee will study all film company applications for contracts under the program, which provides for the convertability into dollars of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the distribution of pictures to Marshall Plan countries. Named to the committee were : Thomas K. Finletter, Xew York attorney, who formerly headed the ECA mission to the United Kingdom, and earlier was chairman of the President's Air Policy Commission; Mrs. Louise Leonard Wright, director, Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the U. S. National Commission for UNESCO ; Dr. George N. Shuster, president of Hunter College, New York City, and also a member of the UNESCO Commission. • Polio Cases Lowest Since August Peak Polio cases were on the decrease by more than SO per cent of the peak this week with figures for the seven days ending Oct. 8 showing 1,588 new cases as compared to the peak figure of 3,417 new cases for the week ending Aug. 20. The epidemic, which went into high gear during July, is the worst since World War I and has claimed 34,742 victims during the year. Oregon Establishes Minimum Wages Minimum wages of 65 cents an hour for women and 50 cents an hour for minors will go into eflfect Nov. 28 for persons employed in the theatrical and recreation industry in Oregon, dispatches from Portland said. Not for Us Americans The license of the Taconic Theatre in Williamstown, Mass., was suspended for five days after the Board of Selectmen had viewed the two foreign films being shown there, "Passionnelle" and "Torment," a message from Boston states. Chairman John D. Henderson said, after a private showing of the films had been made for the Selectmen, "The two films are too highly suggestive for an American audience." Shortly after the decision was made known students of Williams College staged a demonstration and hung Selectmen in effigy in front of the theatre. State police were alerted but their services were not required. The Board reportedly acted after complaints had been received that the trailers advertising the films were "suggestive." Newsreel Clips Savini Winner A_-.tor Picture exchanges' drive to honor the fact that President R. M. (Bob) Savini has been in the motion picture saddle for 45 years wound up this week with Minneapolis taking first prize, (Pittsburgh, second ; Cleveland, third ; and San Francisco, fourth. Drive Captain Pat Patterson announced that the exchanges ran so close that 10 runners-up will also receive prizes. They are : Indianapolis, Canada, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Dallas, New Orleans, Boston, Atlanta, New York, Cincinnati. Hanson Up Oscar Hanson, who was representative for Monogram Pictures of Canada during many years, this week was appointed general manager of both Monogram and Allied Artists" distribution activities in the Dominion, according to Monogram President Steve Broidy. Foreign Sir Sidney Clifift, chairman of Film Classics of Great Britain, and David Griffith, his general manager, sailed from New York for England this week, after having closed a deal with Film Classics foreign sales Chief, David D. Horne, to handle "Not Wanted" and "Lost Boundaries" in the United Kingdom. . . . Salvatore Casolero and Salvatore Billitteri have formed C & B films to handle Italian imports. First will be "Disillusion," which goes into the Giglio at New York on Oct. 28. Bernard B. Kreisler returned to New York last week prepared to set up distribution facilities for foreign films under the cooperative plan he negotiated with European producers during his recent trip to the Continent and England for the formation of International Film Associates (STR Oct. 8). 2 Kitty Houses Plan Latge-Screen Video Two Kansas City, Mo., theatres were scheduled to install large-screen RCA instantaneous television equipment within the next six months, it was reliably reported this week. They are : The recently refurbished Fox Midwest Orpheum which is devoted largely to legitimate and roadshow films. The Commonwealth Circuit's 1200-seat, Ashland, a neighborhood house in eastern Kansas City. Schlaifer Sees 52 For Eagle Lion Release in 1950 .\ release schedule for Eagle Lion in 1950 which would include as many as 52 pictures was foreseen in New York Monday by General Sales Manager Jack Schlaifer. Schlaifer's estimate, which includes 20 to 24 "top flight" pictures, 12 to 16 programmers / including the Red Rider series and westerns, and 12 to 15 more British imports, came after Financier N. Peter Rathvon previously had declared that he thought Eagle Lion would have suflicient product during 1950 to operate exclusively as a distributing outfit. That Rathvon's view was being considered by the company was further confirmed by Operations Vice-President William C. McMillen, the Robert C. Young lieutenant, who, in answer to a question, said that the closing of Eagle Lion's studios on the west coast was a "possibility." Rathvon, whose Alotion Picture Capital Corporation is financing several pictures for Eagle Lion distribution, told the trade press in a conference last week that four productions had already been completed or were to get into production with his company's funds for EL release. They are : "The Sundowners," "Ruppert," "Beloved," (tentative title) and George Pal's fantasy, "Destination Moon," last of which deals with rocket ships and is to get under way this week. May Close Studio McMillen, who sat in the same conference, declared that with monies available to Eagle Lion, financing for 20 films was available to independent producers. It was not Eagle Lion's intention, he said, to compel producers who distribute through it to use its studio space if cheaper space could be obtained elsewhere, and it was not planned to keep the studio operating unless enough productions were available to make its operation economical. Eagle Lion also announced that it would distribute Filmakers "Never Fear," which originally had been scheduled for Film Classics distribution. Film Events Calendar OCTOBER 23 24, convention. Theatre Owners of North and South Carolina, Charlotte Hotel, Charlotte, N. C. 24 26, annual convention. Allied States Association, Minneapolis. 25 27, Variety Club mid-year conference. Hotel Astor, New York City. 27, presentation of charter to Variety Club Tent No. 35, Hotel Astor, New York. NOVEMBER 8-9, annual convention, West Virginia Theatre Managers, Greenbrier Hotel, White Sulphur Springs. 14. directors' meeting. Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana. Hotel Lincoln, Indianapolis. 15-16, convention. Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana. Hotel Lincoln, Indianapolis. 16. tenth anniversary dinner. Motion Picture Pioneers, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City. DECEMBER 1-2, convention. Independent Theatre Owners of Wisconsin, Hotel Schroeder, Milwaukee.