Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

12 WHAT S NEWS In the Film Industry This Week EXHIBITION Ever since competitive bidding was first suggested by the New York federal statutory court hearing the anti-trust suit — Dec. 31, 1946 — exhibitor leaders have been viewing the bid system with alarm, suspicion and consternation. So when recently the Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Theatre Owners passed a resolution which, among other things, called upon distributors to sell pictures through bidding when exhibitors requested them to, Showmen's Trade Review asked its San Francisco correspondent to find out why. The answer came from POCITO Board Chairman H. V. (Rotus) Harvey, veteran showman, who examines everything he says to make sure that it doesn't say what he didn't mean. Harvey's explanation was that bidding upheld the exhibitor's "right to buy," and that whether exhibitors liked it or not, bidding was probably here to stay since distributors "have the right to license their product in any method they choose." Harvey deplored certain practices connected with bidding and said the PCCITO was seeking uniformity in bids (P. 13). Meanwhile in Atlanta, Censor Christine Smith approved "Pinky" but continued to withhold approval on "Lost Boundaries" which also deals with one phase of the Negro problem. And while "Pinky" was booked into Atlanta's Roxy, which has a large Negro balcony, STR correspondents were asking exhibitors across the nation what they thought of pictures which dealt with the problem. For the most part exhibitors thought they had a place since they were making money. A few, however, were worried that too many would be made as a cycle developed and public reaction would be had. A few more were worried about community reaction. Several in the south would not book pictures which dealt with subjects that might offend the white southerners. And one exhibitor in a New Jersey town wouldn't book such pictures because he feared it would give him a predominantly Negro audience and thereby classify his house as a colored theatre! (P. 13) Out in California National Theatre's Charles Skouras, who has* been fighting for Daylight Saving Time, came out to answer those who attacked him with a declaration that it would benefit the state and couldn't be beat because the public wanted it. Skouras, who is running trailers favoring the advanced time in his theatres, drew fire from opponents of daylight saving, among whom are exhibitors. Report is that while under-roofers might benefit by the advanced time, it could be murder to under-skyers, an inference which might be justified when it is noted that among the opponents are drive-in owners. And more seriously the coal and steel strikes were making thems'elves felt at the box-office, with the coal strike doing a double-play against the industry by curtailing train service and upsetting film delivery schedules. In some areas salesmen were out with their cars hauling film as well as peddling it. Shea's circuit has added one night vaudeville to several more houses; in Lake Charles, La., the 1900-seat Pittman got under way as the town's largest theatre, and in Rochester, N. Y., Ben Belin sons' Little Theatre rounded out 20 years of continuous operation as an "art" house. LITIGATION Neither Warner Bros., nor the Justice Department would talk, but Washington indicates that Warners is after a consent decree in the Government anti-trust suit, which, if worked out, will probably leave Loew's alone in the fight against divorce, since 20th-Fox wants out too via the consent route. The statutory court in New York has fixed Dec. 16 as argument day for the Government anti-trust suit with Nov. 17 as the last day to file briefs. In New York depositions had been taken in the Empire suit against the eight majors. In Lexington, Columbia, Universal and United Artists were suing the New Harlan Theatre at Harlan, Ky., over rentals, and in Georgia, the state Supreme Court not only walloped the city of Brunswick's amusement tax, as reported last week, but judicially pointed out that motion pictures were a respectable business such as drug stores and groceries and must be treated like these businesses. DISTRIBUTION Twentieth Century-Fox, inaugurating competitive bidding in the Gulf States area, sold two pictures away from Paramount-Richards, which makes a fifth major to leave the Paramount-Richards time. Republic President Herbert Yates, believing that Great Britain will offer splendid opportunities for American films, will release the entire Republic producT; there and has added 10 special salesmen to the distribution end for John Bull. The Canadian Jewish Congress announced that Quebec Province will not allow "Oliver Twist" to be shown because of the character Fagin, which is also the reason it is not being shown in the United States. Oklahoma is seeking to force distributors to pay a state income tax. GENERAL On the production front Universal has decided to raise its "A" program from 25 to 30 pictures for 1950 and to make 12 intended for extended runs; Chester Erskine has formed his own producing company with A. Pam Blumenthal as president and Dave Garber, formerly Universal's studio manager, is going to establish a motion picture center for Kingswood Films, Inc., in the British West Indies. Pictures made there can also be considered as British pictures under the quota. Rochester University has' developed a new artificial sapphire lens said to be better than the present glass lens. The Motion Picture Publicists Ass'n, lATSE Local 818, has been admitted to membership in the Hollywood Film Council. Financial: Motion picture companies reported cash dividends for September amounting to $7,419,000 compared to $7,280,000 for September, 1948. Payments for the quarter ending September, 1949, amounted to $10,588,000 compared to $4,147,000 for the similar period in 1948. Paramount President Barney Balaban disposed of 1,200 shares of Paramount $1 common to the B & T Association. Dead: Kay Kamen, 57, merchandising manager for Walt Disney and president of Kay Kamen, Ltd., his wife, Kate, 40, in the AirFrance Constellation plane crash at the Azores. SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, November 5, 1949 Coal Strike Hits Film Shipments The nation's coal strike has not only hit the box-office in areas affected, but has moved out to affect delivery of film shipments in the noncoal producing sections. Faced with coal shortages, railroads have been cancelling regularly scheduled trains with the result that film has to be shipped either earlier or by other means in several sections. In Boston, suburban theatre exhibitors have been hit by the elimination of the seven o'clock train which carried films to all points west — Worcester, Fitchburg, Framingham, Springfield, Natick, Wellesley. 'Distributors had to call in salesmen and commandeer their automobiles to make deliveries. In some instances exchange managers themselves were understood to have to travel miles by motor to deliver film for midweek openings. Closed Coal Mines Worry Cleveland Showmen Cleveland area exhibitors were worrying thi; week that the protracted coal strike might shut up shop for them. While most of the city's movie houses aren't worried about heat too much since they operated off the municipal heat, there was some fear that the cumulative effect of both the coal and steel strikes, which is causing widespread unemployment,' would be murder at the box-office. Strikes f Layoffs Hit New Jersey Business Industrial inactivity due to layoffs and curtailed manufacturing, as well as the effects of the steel and coal strikes were partly blamed this week for some of the worst business in the New Jersey area to date. Television was also partly blamed by exhibitors, who contend that the average run of picture is not strong enough to buck the conditions. Quebec Said to Bar 'Oliver Twist' Film The Canadian Jewish Congress, meeting in Toronto, revealed that showing of J. Arthur Rank's "Oliver Twist" had been barred in Quebec province by Premier Maurice Duplessis. The announcement made by a speaker at the Congress, who said he had the authorization of the premier to make the statement, declared that the picture was banned because of the portrayal . of Fagin. Neither the premier's office at Quebec nor Eagle Lion commented. Showing of "Oliver Twist" in the United States has been held up by Jewish protest over the Fagain portrayal on the grounds that it would foster anti-Semitism. INDEX TO DEPARTMENTS Advance Data 42 Audience Classifications 23 Box-Office Slants . . . . , 23 Feature Booking Guide 34 Feature Guide Title Index 34 Hollywood 32 Newsreel Synopses 39 Pictures Started Last Week 39 Regional Newsreel 26 Selling the Picture 20 Shorts Booking Guide 41 Theatre Management 24 Views on New Shorts 43